Saudi Arabia reports cholera infection in province bordering Yemen

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health has detected at least one confirmed case of cholera and three other suspected cases in an area bordering Yemen, where an ongoing cholera outbreak has killed thousands.

Citing a health ministry official, Saudi state TV on Sunday said the "non-Saudi" patients were receiving care at al-Mauwassem General Hospital in Jizan in southern Saudi Arabia.

Cholera is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with fecal matter. It causes violent vomiting and diarrhoea within hours, and could be lethal without immediate treatment.

Undernourished children are the most vulnerable to contract cholera. They are the most likely to die from the disease, with their immune systems badly compromised by malnutrition.

Since the outbreak of cholera in Yemen a year and half ago, triggered by the war between a Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels amid the worsening humanitarian crisis, there have been more than one million suspected cases of cholera in Yemen, and 2,275 recorded deaths.

However, it is unclear if the outbreak in Saudi Arabia's south was linked to Yemen or to last month's Muslim Hajj pilgrimage.