Addis Ababa, March 15 : The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have called for concerted efforts to contain the rapidly spreading cholera outbreak in western Ethiopia.

The MSF, in a statement issued on Friday, said a cholera outbreak is "rapidly spreading" across western Ethiopia's Gambella Region, endangering thousands of lives, as regional health authorities reported over 1,500 cases and 31 deaths.

Noting the worsening violence in South Sudan's Upper Nile State, it warned that thousands are being displaced, losing access to healthcare, safe water, and sanitation.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the WHO also raised the alarm over the rapid spread of the disease, noting that the outbreak, which was first detected in Gambella's Akobo District early last month, has since spread to eight districts and four refugee camps, Xinhua news agency reported.

The WHO said it has intensified response efforts by deploying a surge team of experts to provide on-site support on outbreak coordination, surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and community engagement, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene support.

Highlighting that unsafe water and lack of hygiene and sanitation are fueling cholera's rapid spread in the region, the two organisations called for urgent support to health facilities, and the provision of safe water. They stressed that a cholera vaccination campaign is needed in the affected areas to stop the spread of the disease.

The escalating clashes between the government forces and armed groups in South Sudan's Upper Nile State have led to increased cross-border movements with refugees and injured people fleeing to Ethiopia, further exacerbating the cholera outbreak in Ethiopia's Gambella Region.

The WHO said it has initiated cross-border engagement efforts in cooperation with concerned authorities in South Sudan and Ethiopia to review progress in the cholera response and strengthen cooperation.

/IANS