Africa

Tanzanian Cholera Outbreak Kills 18, Health Ministry Says

FILE - Burundian refugees wait to board a U.N. ship, at Kagunga on Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, to be taken to Kigoma, May 23, 2015. An outbreak of cholera at the time infected 10,000 people in a Tanzanian border region where refugees fleeing political unrest had massed.

NAIROBI, KENYA — 

An outbreak of cholera in Tanzania has left 18 dead in two months, the Health Ministry said Saturday, warning that the situation could worsen as the rainy season continues.

The ministry said the outbreak had left "18 dead out of 570 cases recorded" between September 1 and October 30, and it urged local authorities to take measures to keep the disease from spreading.

In 2015, Tanzania was struck by a major outbreak of cholera that infected 10,000 people and left 150 dead.

Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhea.