Over 1,000 cholera cases reported in South Sudan: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a cholera outbreak in South Sudan with more than 1,000 cases recorded so far, said a UN spokesperson here on Tuesday.

The WHO said that more than 1,210 cholera cases, including 39 deaths have been reported, mostly in Juba and Bor counties, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing.

"In response to the outbreak, health partners have set up cholera treatment centers and oral dehydration points in both counties, and are conducting cholera prevention activities, including hygiene promotion and improvement of access to safe drinking water," said Haq.

UN humanitarian aid chief, Stephen O'Brien, is scheduled to arrive in the country on a four-day visit to see first-hand the humanitarian consequences of the conflict and to find ways of strengthening humanitarian operation.

Earlier this month, South Sudan marks the fourth anniversary of its independence amid continuing conflict. Recent weeks have seen an escalation of violence in Unity and Upper Nile states, with heavy fighting forcing tens of thousands of people to flee to bushes and swamplands, to areas that are difficult to reach.

South Sudan's civil war and violence started in mid-December 2013. Political efforts so far have failed to bring an end to the conflict. Endite