A man who had no travel history lost his life of because of her cholera in South Africaas the Ministry of Health announced today, while the number of confirmed cases in the country increased to five.

The development comes after a surge in cholera cases in the southernmost part of the African continent, with Malawi facing its deadliest outbreak to date, with more than 1,300 deaths.

THE cholera can cause acute diarrhea, vomiting and weakness while it is mainly transmitted through contaminated water or food. If left untreated, the patient may end up dying within a few hours.

The two new cases in South Africa are men, aged approx 20 years oldwith no travel history, according to the health ministry, which added that one of them concluded.

South Africa reported two imported cases of the disease from Malawi earlier this month.

While cholera is not endemic in South Africa, health officials are urging vigilance and adherence to hygiene measures amid fears of local transmission of the disease.

Cholera attacks have been reported by Mozambique and the Zambianeighboring countries of Malawi, while the Ethiopia, the Kenya and the Somalia in the eastern part of Africa they are trying to deal with outbreaks in the middle prolonged drought. In west and central Africa, cases have been reported in Cameroonthe Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Nigeria.