The World Health Organization says a cholera outbreak in Somalia has grown to more than 25,000 cases this year alone and is expected to double by the end of June.
WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said Thursday that the outbreak has killed 524 people so far this year.
Cholera is spreading quickly as a drought worsens in the Horn of Africa country. At least 25,424 cases have been recorded, with 50,000 cases projected by summer.
U.N. Development Program country director David Akopyan says 13 of the country's 18 regions have reported cholera cases.
Akopyan calls Somalia the world's most fragile country and says WHO is trying to prevent the cholera outbreak "from spiraling out of control."
He also says the worsening drought could erode efforts at state-building in the long-chaotic nation.
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