An outbreak of plague in Madagascar has killed 40 people and infected almost 80 others, the World Health Organization has said.
The first known case in the outbreak was a man in Soamahatamana village in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, about 200km west of Antananarivo, at the end of August, reports BBC
There have been two confirmed cases in the capital, including one death.
“There is now a risk of a rapid spread of the disease due to the city’s high population density and the weakness of the healthcare system,” the WHO said.
A task force has been activated to manage the outbreak.
Last year health experts warned that the island was facing a plague epidemic unless it slowed the spread of the disease. It said that inmates in Madagascar’s rat-infested jails were particularly at risk.
The disease is spread by fleas carried by rats. If left untreated, it is fatal within 24 hours.
