SUSPECTED viral meningitis has been detected among Zimbabwean soldiers fighting in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe Health Minister Timothy Stamps said this week. He said no deaths had been reported but that some soldiers had been flown home to Zimbabwe and quarantined to protect against the spread of the highly contagious disease. Zimbabwe has about 12000 troops fighting on the side of President Laurent Kabila, where rebels backed by Uganda and Rwanda have been fighting Kabila’s government since 1998.