The threshold of 100 deaths due to the plague epidemic which has been raging since last August in Madagascar has just been crossed, according to the report of the Malagasy Ministry of Public Health. Among the deceased is a 40-year-old Frenchman who had lived in Toamasina for several years. He succumbed to complications from the pneumonic plague and was immediately buried in the mass grave to prevent the spread of disease. Pneumonic plague is indeed particularly contagious and can trigger serious epidemics by transmission from one person to another due to droplets suspended in the air.
1.2 million doses of antibiotics sent by WHO
The plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, carried by the black rat, which transmits it to humans through infected fleas. Currently the 3 main endemic countries are Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru.
Faced with this epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided 1.2 million doses of antibiotics which are distributed to health establishments and mobile dispensaries throughout the country. “The doses delivered make it possible to treat up to 5,000 patients and protect up to 100,000 people who could be exposed to the disease” points out the WHO in a press release.
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