150 dead in Haiti cholera outbreak: UN (Lead, changing dateline)

GENEVA - A sudden outbreak of a diarrhoeal disease suspected to be cholera has killed at least 150 people north of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, UN officials said Friday.

According to an official with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed 150 people died after suffering from acute diarrhoea and vomiting.

The WHO - which said it was sending specialists to the country - was informed by Haitian health officials that 1,526 people had fallen ill in the affected area outside the capital.

Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in January, which claimed more than 220,000 lives and left 1.5 million homeless.

Aid agencies and health officials have been closely monitoring for outbreaks of water-borne diseases like cholera, which is considered to be immediate health risk but can be treated through rehydration.