At least 89 killed, 1,032 cases reported of plague in Madagascar in less than a week

New York, October 20: Madagascar has been drastically affected due to plague and at least 89 peoples have died so far while 1,032 cases reported in less than a week. Notably, the number of plague cases in Madagascar has almost doubled over the last five days and 1,000 cases are expected every month if necessary funds and aide are not provided.

 

The United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that plague cases have almost doubled over the last five days and medical experts project the situation will worsen further. He further said that so far 89 deaths have been counted.

Stephane Dujarric further said that only 26 percent of the $9.5 million needed to combat the outbreak of the often deadly disease has been received. Dujarric said U.N. humanitarian officials in the Indian Ocean island nation reported 1,032 cases as of Wednesday, 67 percent of which were a pneumonic plague. He says that “is more serious than the bubonic plague and highly challenging to control.”

Dujarric also stated that U.N. officials have strengthened systems to identify contacts of victims, monitor the number of patients at hospitals, transport medical samples, and address “the transmission risks of traditional burial practices.” “Medical experts project that the situation will continue to deteriorate, with 1,000 cases per month expected if the response is not rapidly funded,” Dujarric added.

Unfortunately, most the cases in the current outbreak are a pneumonic plague, a more virulent form that spreads through coughing, sneezing or spitting and is almost always fatal if untreated. In some cases, it can kill within 24 hours. Like the bubonic form, it can be treated with common antibiotics if caught in time. Madagascar has about 400 plague cases per year, or more than half the world’s total, according to a 2016 World Health Organization report.