YAOUNDE, April 10 (Xinhua) -- At least two people have died of cholera in Cameroon's North region, barely four months after the government declared the country free of the disease, an official of the Ministry of Public Health said Wednesday.

According to Dr Arabo Saidou, the region's representative of the ministry, the first cases of the epidemic were identified on March 27 and so far 19 suspected cases have been registered.

"The response mechanism set up by the decentralized services of the Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with its partners, has been strengthened, although it is still difficult to know precisely the factors that provoked the return of the epidemic, the dry season accompanied by extreme heat are generally accompanying factors," Saidou said in a statement.

As part of preventive measures, treatment kits have been made available in hospitals, all areas, where suspected cases are reported, have been systematically disinfected and the population has been urged to follow strict hygienic rules and consult immediately if suspected cases are detected, he said.

Four out of the ten regions in Cameroon were affected in the cholera outbreak in 2018. According to the ministry, 82 cases were reported during the outbreak with the North region registering 69 cases, out of which 40 people died.