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ATARAM, W. Nusa Tenggara: The West Nusa Tenggara Health Office has declared a cholera outbreak, which has killed two residents and infected 255 others in East Lombok regency, an extraordinary occurrence.

"The decision to declare the extraordinary occurrence was taken because of casualties and the number of people infected by the disease jumped over the last two weeks," I Ketut Pasek, head of the local health office, said in Mataram on Wednesday.

The cholera outbreak was recorded to have infected residents in five of the 20 districts in the regency since April 14.

"Most of those infected by the disease are adults, only several of them were children below five," Pasek said, adding that the two who died suffered from acute dehydration and were not treated in time.

Pasek said the number of the people infected could possibly rise as Selong Hospital had not given data on its cholera patients.