Geneva- The United Nations spoke on Friday of an unprecedented spread of cholera cases in Yemen, which have worsened the situation in the war-torn country, mainly affecting children.

With about 70,000 cholera cases reported in just over one month with nearly 600 fatalities in Yemen, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that an already dire situation for children is turning into a disaster.

Cholera is spreading incredibly fast in Yemen. The number of suspected cases is expected to reach 130,000 within the next two weeks, a UNICEF spokesman in Geneva said.

Countless children around Yemen are dying every day in silence from causes that can easily be prevented or treated like cholera, diarrhea or malnutrition, he said.

But the international community needs to do more to provide immediate support to relief efforts in health, water and sanitation, nutrition and community mobilization. UNICEF urgently requires US$16 million to prevent the outbreak from spreading further, the spokesman added.