BASRA, Iraq -- Two hospitals in southern Iraq have reported 17 confirmed cases of cholera in Basra, and the World Health Organization said Wednesday it fears far more have gone unreported.

A WHO team dispatched to the southern city this week said the number of confirmed cases does not reflect the extent of the disease...

Health officials said they feared the disease is already epidemic.

With 17 confirmed cases, "you can expect 10 times more within the larger population," said Dr. Denis Coulombier, a WHO epidemiologist.

"It's a very small number," WHO spokesman Iain Simpson told The Associated Press in Geneva of the confirmed cases. "But it's a very bad sign."