AFP - Pneumonic Plague Outbreak In Madagascar - 39 Confirmed Dead To Date
Antananarivo — An outbreak of plague even more vicious than the bubonic strain dubbed the black death has killed 39 people in Madagascar, the government said Thursday.
A government doctor said 90 percent of the cases were pneumonic plague, a strain much more vicious than the common bubonic plague that can kill within three days, leaving little time for antibiotics to work. Authorities urged anyone suffering fever and headaches to consult a health practitioner, saying drugs to treat the plague were available free of charge.
"There is an epidemic in Madagascar which is currently affecting five districts (out of 112). Eighty-six people have been inflicted by the plague, of which 39 have died," said the health ministry in a statement read to AFP.
The first person died before November, but government only officially declared the existence of a plague on November 23. The outbreak has been blamed on an infestation of rats in residential areas due to uncontrolled deforestation.
Ed. - emphasis added.
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