(Reuters) — Madagascar Prime Minister Kolo Christophe Laurent Roger confirmed on Monday (November 24) that the country is witnessing an outbreak of plague after a previous announcement made by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Organization said on Friday (November 21) that the outbreak has killed 40 people out of 119 confirmed cases in Madagascar since late August and the disease could spread rapidly in the capital of Madagascar, where after two cases and one death had been recorded.
Roger reiterated the information contained in the WHO report, which he said had been approved by the government.
“The WHO report was done with the consent of the government as is the norm and it is very necessary. Every case of this disease has been confirmed and declared as required by WHO and hence this is considered an epidemic,” he said while addressing reporters.
Plague, a bacterial disease, is mainly spread from one rodent to another by fleas. Humans bitten by an infected flea usually develop a bubonic form of plague, which swells the lymph node and can be treated with antibiotics.
If the bacteria reach the lungs, the patient develops pneumonia (pneumonic plague), which is transmissible from person to person through infected droplets spread by coughing.
The WHO said it is one of the most deadly infectious diseases” and can kill people within 24 hours. Two percent of the cases reported in Madagascar so far have been pneumonic, it added.
Roger said the government has employed effective prevention measures and announced free medical care for plague related cases.
“For each case, all the necessary measures have been taken into account to stop the spreading and all cases whether far away or in the capital of Antananarivo are being dealt with seriously.”
The first known case of the plague was a man from Soamahatamana village in the district ofTsiroanomandidy, identified on August 31. He died on September 3 and authorities notified the WHO of the outbreak on November 4.
The WHO did not recommend any trade or travel restrictions based on the information available about the outbreak.
The last previously known outbreak of the plague was in Peru in August 2010, according to the WHO.
