Two days after the formal declaration of a cholera outbreak in Juba, South Sudan, the number of suspected cases rose from 18 to at least 56.

Fifty-six (56) cases of the highly contagious disease were reported from various neighborhoods of Juba, according to a health source who spoke to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, with a number of suspected cases also reported elsewhere in the country.

According to another medical source, however, Juba Teaching Hospital Director General Wani Lolik Lodu, the number of cholera-infected people is actually higher.

He was quoted by Catholic Radio Network as saying the number of cases increased to 70, coming from at “all corners of Juba town.”

Though the Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed only one death, UNICEF South Sudan on Saturday announced that the number had risen to four.

Five unconfirmed cases have been reported from Kaka in Manyo County and others at Mangalla Barracks in Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State.

“With a quick response, it is hoped that the outbreak can be contained,” the organization Oxfam said in a press release.

At Juba Teaching Hospital, where several dozen cases are being treated, the organization Medair has begun helping with medical supervision in order to ensure proper case management.

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is planning to open another cholera treatment center in Juba at a location to be determined.

Oxfam said the outbreak “highlights the squalid living conditions of many South Sudanese particularly in urban areas, and the scale of public health risk this poses.”

The organization said it was expecting to begin its own response to the outbreak on Monday, after the arrival of a cargo of supplies from Oxford to Juba, including oral rehydration salts, chlorine, water treatment and disinfectant and soap.

None of the reported cases have yet come from within the UN protection sites, which are the most overcrowded parts of the city.

According to an earlier report, one confirmed victim came from the UN House camp, but new information suggests that this victim was not actually in the camp while suffering from the disease, but rather had moved to another neighborhood of Juba.

Photo: Cholera treatment team in South Sudan (UNICEF)

Related coverage:

Health Ministry declares cholera outbreak in South Sudan capital (16 May)

Health workers on the lookout for cholera at South Sudan camps (28 March)