( CNN ) -- Cholera has killed 200 people in the west African nation of Cameroon , the government said Thursday , and aid agencies feared the outbreak could spread to neighboring regions and nations . Another 2,500 cases of cholera , a deadly water-borne disease , have been diagnosed in Cameroon since an outbreak warning in June . About 70 percent of people living in the country 's far north region , bordering Nigeria and Chad , do not have access to potable water , according to a Ministry of Water and Energy official . Sanitation is also limited in the area and recent flooding has aggravated the situation . UNICEF said it has dispatched emergency medical kits containing surgical gloves , water treatment tablets , cholera medicine , oral rehydration salts and educational materials . The United Nations children 's agency said the outbreak could be devastating for children , who are especially vulnerable . The disease is caused by contaminated water , and many people with cholera suffer acute watery diarrhea , which leads to severe dehydration . If left untreated , it can kill quickly , possibly within hours , according to the World Health Organization . Up to 120,000 people die each year from cholera . Journalist Moki Kindzeka contributed to this report .
Health officials fear the outbreak might spread . Few in northern Cameroon have access to potable water . The disease is spread by contaminated water .