The first cholera outbreak in almost five years has been reported in South Sudan: one child died and 31 people were infected, Medical Xpress reported, citing local health authorities.
A seven-year-old child has died. All others infected have been treated and discharged from the hospital, the report said.
The outbreak followed a steady increase in diarrhea cases in the affected areas.
These are the first cholera cases in the country since December 2017, which killed 436 people.
Cholera is an acute form of diarrhea that is treated with antibiotics and hydration, but can kill within hours if left untreated.
It is caused by a microbe that is usually transmitted because of poor sanitation. People become infected when they ingest food or water containing this microbe.
In early 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that between 1.3 million and 4 million cases of cholera are reported worldwide each year, killing between 21,000 and 143,000 people.