A cholera outbreak has killed at least ten people in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, according to health officials.

Since last Monday, at least 95 people in Hammanskraal, a suburb north of Pretoria, have attended hospitals with cholera symptoms.

The Gauteng health department said in a statement on Sunday that lab tests confirmed at least 19 cases of cholera.

South Africa reported its first cholera death in February, after the virus arrived in the country through Malawi.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF earlier warned that more countries now face outbreaks of cholera, as increasing numbers of cases are being reported and the outcome for patients is worse than 10 years ago.

Southeastern Africa is particularly badly affected, with infections spreading in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Recent outbreak of cholera in South Africa occurred in 2008/2009, when around 12,000 cases were reported following an outbreak in neighboring Zimbabwe, which resulted in a surge of imported cases and subsequent local transmission.

Members have been urged to avoid known or suspected contaminated food, water and surfaces, and wash hands thoroughly with soap before handling food or after using the bathroom to prevent possible infection.

They’re also called upon to never drink water from unsafe sources such as rivers, dams, streams, unless boiled or disinfected first.

Cholera is a disease that causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting, and weakness and is spread primarily by contaminated food or water. It can kill within hours if left untreated.