Health officials in China say the number of cholera cases reported on the southern island of Hainan has increased to 51.

China's official Xinhua news agency reports the provincial health department saying that 29 of those affected have been treated and released from the hospital. No deaths from the outbreak have been reported.

On Sunday, authorities sealed the campus of Hainan University after 70 students were hospitalized with intestinal problems.

Health officials say the outbreak began at a village dinner party near Danzhou.  They have blamed heavy floods for creating conditions ripe for the disease.

Cholera is a water-borne disease, which starts with acute diarrhea and can lead to kidney failure.  It is especially dangerous for young children.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.