The world’s largest refugee camp complex of Dadaab in eastern Kenya has been hit by the spread of cholera.

Duke Mwancha, the spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kenya, said Saturday that the UN refugee agency is “still trying to control the spread” of cholera that is threatening the camp.

Kenya has suffered from cholera over the past year. The spread of the disease to the eastern region of the country poses a serious threat as the town of Dadaab hosts a complex of five camps run by UNHCR. Over 320,000 refugees are inside the complex. The majority of them have fled violence in neighboring Somalia, according to the latest UNHCR data.

Mwancha also referred to the lack of sanitation and the low level of people’s education as the main challenges in fighting cholera.

There are not enough pit latrines in the camp, and people often let their children play in the mud or in floodwater, he said.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as the MSF by its French acronym, said in a statement on December 17 that seven people have died from cholera in Dadaab since November. More than 540 residents of the camp have also been infected with the disease.

According to the MSF, more than 300 patients, 30 percent of them children under 12, have been admitted to treatment centers over the past three weeks.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae. It is a fast-developing infection that causes diarrhea, which can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly provided.

The threat of cholera has been intensified due to international aid cuts to Dadaab that have resulted in the shortage of latrine and soap.

“The fact that this outbreak has occurred further highlights the dire hygiene and living conditions in the camp and a lack of proper long-term investment in sanitation services,” said Charles Gaudry, the head of the MSF in Kenya.