International charities warned that, left unchecked, the disease’s spread might exacerbate similar outbreaks across the African region for weeks or months to come.

An aid group says cholera is spreading rapidly in Darfur. Doctors Without Borders says that the outbreak has killed 40 people and infected more than 2,300 in the past week.

The humanitarian organization described this as the worst cholera outbreak Sudan has seen in years. The situation is especially dire in the Darfur region, where clean water is scarce amid the fighting.