The Director for Public Health in Jonglei State says at least 23 people have died of cholera over the past one week.

Abraham Deng says the new cases were reported at the end of last week in Duk area and Jalle village.

Mr Deng, who is also the acting director of the state hospital in Bor, says the cases are a continuation of the outbreak that was first reported in the state in January this year.

He told Eye Radio that health workers have been sent to areas affected in Duk and Jalle to verify the health situation, particularly hygiene and sanitation.

“In Duk … the accumulative number of admission was 97 out which 22 were death cases and 10 were discharged,” Mr Deng said.

“Coming to Jalle–Kuei Island, we were having three cases admitted in the hospital or in the cholera center, under which one was discharged but two patients are still now under admission,” he said.

“We are now trying to verify the accurate number, what we have is unauthorized number.”

Mr. Deng said drugs have also been sent to cholera centers in order to reduce the speed of the disease.

Members of the sanitation program known as WASH will follow this week to check the health situation, he said.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Angok Gordon, said he had just arrived in the state capital Bor, and was gathering more information about the cholera infections.