About 40 people have been killed and other 200 affected by a serious cholera outbreak in Arua and Yumbe, northwestern Uganda, Radio Uganda reported Wednesday.

The government quoted Yumbe member of parliament (MP) Nusura Tiperu as saying that the situation in the two districts was alarming.

She reported to the parliament that the problem is caused by poor sanitation that has been worsened by the current mango season where people are eating unwashed mangoes, while about ten families share one latrine.

The MP called upon the Ministry of Health to dispatch a team of health workers to rescue the situation.

Cholera is a waterborne disease which causes serious diarrhea and vomiting and can be fatal if not treated within 24 hours.

The disease was firstly reported in Arua district in early June and later spread to neighboring Yumbe district.

In a similar development, over 10 people have been killed since June in the Katanga slum, a suburb of Kampala.

Source: Xinhua