Two relief agencies said Thursday that one case of cholera and 14 suspected cases have been reported in the Hagadera refugee camp in Dadaab, northwest Kenya -- numbers that have the potential to spike as Somali refugees inundate already overstretched camps.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi that they are working tirelessly to contain the outbreak.
"Emergency teams with the IRC and NRC are working around the clock to contain this outbreak," said Kellie Leeson, IRC country director.
"However, the spread of cholera is hard to prevent when people are living in congested conditions and don't have enough clean water or adequate sanitation. There is an urgent need to allocate more land here to house and help refugees from Somalia."
An average of 5,000 Somalis are streaming into Dadaab every month -- fleeing ongoing violence in the Horn of Africa nation.