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The United Nations is appealing for more than $40 million to help curb a rapidly spreading outbreak of cholera in Syria.

It is believed to have started in early September, after people consumed contaminated water and food irrigated by the Euphrates river. It has since spread across the country, where the health system has been devastated by more than a decade of conflict.

The exact number of cases so far is hard to know, but in mid October, the number of suspected cases was 20,000. The situation in refugee camps is of particular concern - many of which are located along the Syrian Turkish border.

Islamic Relief is one aid organisation attempting to curb the spread of the disease near Idlib. Weekend spoke to their operational lead. He explains: "People rely on open air sewage so this is very, very risky for the cholera outbreak and increases the transmission of this disease dramatically."

(Photo: A medic treats a baby brought by his mother at a recently-opened cholera medical centre in the Syrian town of Darkush, on the outskirts of the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib. Credit: Getty Images)

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