 |
Antananarivo,
the capital of Madagascar
|
The current outbreak of
the plague in Madagascar was unusual as it had affected large urban areas,
increasing the risk of transmission, the WHO warned
 |
| Map of Madagascar |
The
World Health Organization said Sunday it was boosting its response to a plague
outbreak in Madagascar that has killed 24 people, as the government banned
public meetings to reduce infections.
In
a televised address Saturday, Prime Minister Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana
said no public meetings or demonstrations would be allowed in the capital
Antananarivo, which has seen six deaths in recent days.
"At
airports and bus stations, measures will be taken for passengers to avoid panic
and to control the disease," he added after an emergency meeting with the
UN health agency.
Madagascar
has suffered plague outbreaks almost every year since 1980, often sparked by
rats fleeing forest fires.
The
current outbreak was unusual as it had affected large urban areas, increasing
the risk of transmission, the WHO warned.
The
outbreak is a mix of bubonic plague, which spreads by infected rats via flea
bites, and pneumonic plague spread person-to-person.
The
highly infectious disease killed millions of people across the world in the
past before being largely wiped out.
"WHO
is concerned that plague could spread further because it is already present in
several cities and this is the start of the epidemic season," Charlotte
Ndiaye, WHO representative in Madagascar, said in a statement Sunday.
"Our
teams are on the ground in Madagascar providing technical guidance."
The
first death this year occurred on August 28 when a passenger died in a public
taxi en route to a town on the east coast.
Two
others who came into contact with the passenger also died.
Officials
are trying to identify people who came into contact with a basketball coach
from the Seychelles who died of plague in Antananarivo on Wednesday while
visiting the island for a sports event.
Plague
can be cured with antibiotics but can be fatal within 24 hours if it affects
the lungs.
On
Saturday, the health ministry said the death toll had risen to 24 from 19 on
Thursday, with more than 100 infected.
The
recurrent outbreaks in Madagascar have been attributed to poor hygiene and
insufficient healthcare.
The
government said one girl among the dead had apparently been involved in a
ceremony retrieving the bodies of deceased family members, rewrapping their
remains and dancing with the corpses.
WHO
has released US$300,000 in emergency funds, as well as extra supplies of
antibiotics and protective equipment.
It appealed for US$1.5
million to fund the emergency response.
No comments:
Post a Comment