Cholera has killed more than 1,500 Nigerians since January in one of the worst outbreaks in years, with heavy rains spreading the disease particularly in poor northern states, the United Nations, UN, said yesterday.

Martin Dawes, regional spokesman for United Nations Children Education Fund, UNICEF, told Reuters that 1,555 people have died from the disease in Africa’s most populous nation since January while 38,173 cases have been reported.

The figure is more than four times the death toll reported by the government in August. UN officials said the numbers were based on the latest reports from World Health Organisation, Red Cross and government agencies.

Paula Fedeski, spokes-woman for UNICEF in Nigeria, said: “The rains this year have been very severe. The outbreak is considerably worse this year.”