At least 31 people have died from cholera, and over 1,500 cases have been diagnosed in western Ethiopia, where the disease is “spreading rapidly,” the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced today.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

Three-quarters of those infected do not show any symptoms.

However, for 10 to 20% of cases, the disease can be severe, causing acute diarrhea and vomiting, leading to rapid dehydration.

“Cholera is spreading quickly in western Ethiopia (…) putting thousands of lives at risk,” MSF stated in a release sent to AFP.

The organization reports at least 31 deaths and over 1,500 cases in the Gambella region, which borders South Sudan, citing data from the regional health office.

The situation in western Ethiopia has worsened with the arrival of people fleeing violence in South Sudan, crossing the border in search of urgent medical care, the organization emphasized.

An outbreak of cholera appeared in October 2024 in South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, which has been plagued by instability since declaring independence from Sudan in 2011.

“Thousands of people have been displaced and have lost access to medical care, drinking water, and sanitation facilities—factors that play a crucial role in the rapid spread of cholera,” MSF highlighted.

A previous report, provided on February 22 to AFP by a local health official, recorded at least 15 deaths and over 200 cholera cases since the beginning of February.

For weeks, clashes between South Sudan’s government forces and armed groups in the Upper Nile region, in the northeast of the country, have been worsening the outbreak, according to MSF.

Several regions in Ethiopia, a country in East Africa with around 120 million inhabitants, are experiencing cholera outbreaks, particularly Amhara, the nation’s second most populous region.

In 2023, the number of recorded cholera cases worldwide increased by 13%, while deaths surged by 71% compared to 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “More than 4,000 people have died (…) from this disease, which is both preventable and easily treatable,” the WHO stated.