THE PLAGUE OUTBREAK HAS RETURNED
Is history about to repeat itself? It seems that the epidemic began in Madagascar on the 28th of August 2017 and has been kept on the down low, Mainstream media isn't talking too much about it, however, it has become apparent that this is a serious outbreak, 33 people have died whereas 230 people are still infected.
Plague epidemics have been recorded to affect Africa, Asia, and South America, Plagues in Madagascar are not uncommon as the island usually sees around 400 cases a year, Almost all of the cases reported around the world in the last 20 years have occurred among people living in small towns and villages or agricultural areas rather than in larger towns and cities. Between 1,000 and 2,000 cases each year are reported to the WHO (World Health Organization). The Madagascan Prime Minister Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana banned all public gatherings around the infected area in Antananarivo on September 30th and since then the World Health Organization has delivered more than a million doses of antibiotics to the isolated island.
Despite the popular perception of the medieval-era plague, the (Black Death) that is still etched into our mind, the plague is far from eradicated even reemerging in countries where the disease was thought to have disappeared. Madagascar has made significant progress reducing infection rates but still accounts for 30% of human cases worldwide from 2004 – 2009. This year, however, the majority of cases are of pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs and is transmitted through coughing, it is considered the most deadly form of the plague as it can be fatal within 24 hours.
There have fortunately been concerted efforts to set up rat traps and spraying of insecticides in several neighbourhoods to prevent the spread of the disease, the government has also established a toll free number to report any new cases, The ministry of health in Seychelles has also advised airlines and travel agencies to discourage people from travelling to Madagascar due to the outbreak.