39 die in bubonic plague outbreak in Madagascar

Health ministry confirms epidemic which has infected 86 people so far.

ANTANANARIVO // At least 39 people have been killed by an outbreak of bubonic plague in Madagascar in recent weeks, the country’s health ministry confirmed yesterday.

“There is an epidemic in Madagascar which is currently affecting five districts out of 112. Eighty-six people have been infected by the plague, of which 39 have died,” the ministry said.

Police in the northwestern district of Mandritsara had said on Wednesday the deceased could not be treated in time. But the death toll they gave, which was 20, was revised upwards yesterday.

About 60 people in Madagascar were killed by the plague last year.

The country’s health research institute could not be reached for comment about the latest outbreak.

The plague, known as the Black Death, killed millions across the world in the Middle Ages but is now extremely rare and can be treated. It is carried by fleas that primarily are carried by wild rodents.

In October, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that Madagascar was at risk of an epidemic of the plague, which is spread by unsanitary conditions.

The World Health Organisation reported about 2,000 cases of the plague each year, most of which were in Africa.

Associated Press and Agence France-Presse