Contaminated water and poor sewage sanitation were common problems there before the Serb invasion, and are worse now. One of the officials called Kosovo a potential public health disaster. A number of diseases pose threats to service members in Kosovo. In February, the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center at Fort Detrick, Md., produced a disease risk assessment for the area. The assessment says the risk to service members is moderate to high.
Diarrheal diseases are year-round problems everywhere in the province.
They are transmitted by ingesting contaminated water or food. Symptoms usually appear six hours to 10 days after exposure. Typhoid is an endemic, year- round threat, though more prevalent in summer. These diseases are spread by ingesting food or water contaminated by the feces or urine of infected humans. The infection in the blood and various organs can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics.