Madagascar reports outbreak of bubonic plague in the town of Mandritsara

An outbreak of bubonic plague is being reported from the city of Mandritsara in northern Madagascar, according to a BBC report today.

Testing carried out by the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar on the 20 or so  bodies recovered from the town confirming they had died of plague.

In October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned of the possibility of a plague outbreak in the prisons there.

“The chronic overcrowding and the unhygienic conditions in prisons can bring on new cases of the disease,” said Christoph Vogt, head of the ICRC delegation in Madagascar. “That’s dangerous not only for the inmates but also for the population in general.”

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“Rat control is essential for preventing the plague, because rodents spread the bacillus to fleas that can then infect humans,” said Mr Vogt. “So the relatives of a detainee can pick up the disease on a visit to the prison. And a released detainee returning to his community without having been treated can also spread the disease.”

According to the CDC, Plague is an infectious disease that affects rodents, certain other animals and humans. It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. These bacteria are found in many areas of the world,including the United States.

People most commonly acquire plague when they are bitten by a flea that is infected with the plague bacteria. People can also become infected from direct contact with infected tissues or fluids while handling an animal that is sick with or that has died from plague. Finally, people can become infected from inhaling respiratory droplets after close contact with cats and humans with pneumonic plague.

Madagascar recorded 7,182 cases of plague during the last decade. Only the Congo had more plague cases from 2000-2009. The island country was the leading country in plague occurrence during the previous decade.

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Madagascar map Image/Addicted04 via Wikimedia commons