In Madagascar people carry a body wrapped in a sheet after taking it out from a crypt, as they take part in a funerary tradition called the Famadihana
Ten African Countries at Risk as Deadly Plague Hits Madagascar
Madagascar is on plague again. The outbreak of deadly airborne pneumonic plague in that country has reached a crisis point. And there are concerns that neighbouring countries may be at risk of the respiratory disease that kill a patient in just 24 hours and can spread fast if not addressed immediately.
The world Bank has released $5M in aid to help check the epidemic.
The spread of the disease may not be unconnected with the dance-with-the-dead ritual in Madagascar where relatives of the dead exhume and dance with it.
Report say Cases of the plague have spiraled by 37 per cent in less than a week and the World Health Organization now states that there are 1,801 suspected cases. At least 127 deaths have been recorded, but experts warn this could also rocket
The ‘unprecedented’ outbreak has prompted warnings in nine nearby countries, namely: South Africa, Seychelles, La Reunion, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros and Mauritius.
“Two thirds of cases have been caused by the airborne pneumonic plague, which can be spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours.
“Leading scientists have predicted the extent of this year’s outbreak may escalate, as it is stronger than the traditional bubonic form that rocks the nation each year.
Analysis of figures by MailOnline show the epidemic could strike a further 20,000 people in just a matter of weeks, if current trends continue”, reports MailOnline
Professor Johnjoe McFadden, a molecular geneticist at Surrey University, told MailOnline, that the plague is ‘scary’ and is predominantly a ‘disease of the poor’.
He added: ‘It’s a terrible disease. It’s broadly caused more deaths of humans than anything else, it’s a very deadly pathogen.
Health officials are unsure how this year’s outbreak began.
However, some believe it could be caused by the bubonic plague, which is endemic in the remote highlands of Madagascar.
If left untreated, it can lead to the pneumonic form, which is responsible for two thirds of the cases recorded so far in this year’s outbreak.
MailOnline reports that rats carry the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague, which is then passed onto their fleas.
Forest fires drive rats towards rural communities, which means residents are at risk of being bitten and infected. Local media reports suggest there has been an increase in the number of blazes in the woodlands.
Without antibiotics, the bubonic strain can spread to the lungs – where it becomes the more virulent pneumonic form.
Pneumonic, which can kill within 24 hours, can then be passed on through coughing, sneezing or spitting.
However, it can also be treated with antibiotics if caught in time.
Madagascar sees regular outbreaks of plague, which tend to start in September, with around 600 cases being reported each year on the island.
However, this year’s outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island’s two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas.