Officials have warned of an upsurge in water-borne diseases in heavily flooded areas across Africa. The water surge has destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes in the region and killed tens of villagers in 17 countries in West, Central and East Africa.

The severe flooding has been described as a humanitarian disaster as most of the continent's most fertile farmland has been washed away. The United Nations has warned of more rains and urged donors for food, shelter and medicine.

Elizabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the U.N. says, "The rains are set to continue and we are really concerned because a lot of people are homeless and infectious diseases could emerge. Some of the poorest countries, like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - the poorest nation in the world - are badly affected."

The U.N. said the floods could lead to locust infestations and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

The East African countries of Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan were the most affected by the flooding, where over 250,000 Sudanese were left homeless. The same number of people were ravaged in Uganda, with some villages cut off.