Nearly 80 percent of Sao Tome's total population is at risk to a recent outbreak of the deadly cholera, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday.

As of May 9, 131 cholera cases and 3 deaths have been officially reported in the western African island country, UNICEF spokesman Damien Personnaz told reporters here.

Most of the island's population of an estimated 140,000 lives within 10 kms of the outbreak area -- the Agua Grande district which hosts the nation's capital, he said.

UNICEF has provided nearly 53,000 US dollar worth of medication, oral rehydration salts and other accessories and contributed to the deployment of outreach workers and to campaigns to inform the public.

"We must not underestimate the extremely dangerous force of this disease," UNICEF representative Kristian Laubjerg said in a statement.

"It is extremely urgent that we get clean water and safe toilet and sanitary facilities as quickly as possible to all affected communities to ensure against the death of children, who are especially vulnerable," he added.

UNICEF said it, in collaboration with Sao Tome's ministry of health, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program and districts officials, has mobilized community health teams to increase community awareness, implement community-based needs assessment missions, detect and prevent the spread of the outbreak and distribute potable water to affected neighborhoods.

Cholera is spread through contaminated water and food, and severe, sudden outbreaks are usually caused by water supplies that have been contaminated.

Fatality rates may be as high as 50 percent if the community is unprepared and if treatment is given too late. Young children are particularly vulnerable to cholera, which causes diarrhoea that can lead to severe dehydration and death.

"We must contain this disease before it gets out of control," said Laubjerg.

Nearly 20 percent of the population of Sao Tome has no access to safe drinking water, and only 9 percent use safe toilet facilities.

Source: Xinhua