Lama Zaioor // A Black Death Plague Outbreak is Devastating Madagascar – Affinity Magazine

17.11.17

A Black Death Plague Outbreak is Devastating Madagascar – Affinity Magazine: Officials have been going to extreme measures to contain the outbreak. Medical staff equipped with anti-bacterial chemicals are treating suspected plague victims. Dr Ashok Chopra, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas, urges immediate action as, “If the treatment is not given in a very short period of time these people will end up dying.”

This year’s outbreak is especially frightening because not only does it include the bubonic strain, which spreads from mosquito bites, but also the pneumonic strain, which is the most contagious, making it the deadliest, as it is passed on between people through coughing, sneezing and spitting.

The plague threatens to ravage the rest of Madagascar, as relatives of the victims refuse to part with the bodies. Police are having to seize the bodies to place them in a sealed bag and bury them in a common grave, which goes against Madagascan culture for burying the dead.