The first cases of cholera have been reported in Burma: witnesses in the Irrawady Delta, the south-eastern part which has been reduced to an enormous swamp following the passage of Cyclone Nargis, have reported the first victims in the divisions of Bogalay and Laputta, two of the worst-affected areas. "The feared cholera epidemic has started", said a local doctor. Days without drinking water, the survivors of the passing of the cyclone are drinking water from the rivers and lagoons, in which the bodies and dead animals are floating, regardless of the risks of disease. And while international aid still arrives in the dribs and drabs allowed by the obstacles imposed by the military authorities, survivors have no access to medicine to tackle epidemics of cholera, of dengue fever, of chronic diarhorrea and malaria. Disease, thirst and hunger are now the menaces facing the one and a half million homeless (UN figures) left behind by the passing of Cyclone Nargis. The Guardian: Time is running out in Burma. Times Colonist: Toll from cyclone could pass 100,000. IHT: Constitutional referendum still the priority for Myanmar leaders.