[PRESSTV] A plague epidemic in Madagascar has killed 127 people since August, while the number of pulmonary cases is starting to decline across the country, says the World Health Organization.WHO said in an October 31 report that a total of 1,111 cases were clinically classified as pulmonary plague, the deadliest form of the disease, while 261 were bubonic plague.
Plague is endemic in Madagascar, but the outbreak that has caused 1,801 suspected cases since August is especially worrying because it started earlier in the season than usual and has hit urban rather than rural areas.
The outbreak has hit the island's two main cities Antananarivo and Toamasina the hardest, authorities said last week.
Doctors Without Borders has set up a plague triage and treatment center in Toamasina where they say patients infected with the disease will no longer be contagious after four days of treatment.