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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Bubonic plague outbreak in Madagascar leaves 32 dead |
| 2013-12-22 |
| [The Mirror, UK] Bubonic plague, which 700 years ago wiped out a third of Europe, has broken out on Madagascar. At least 32 people on the East African island have died from the ‘Black Death’ with another 100 suspected cases. Surviving victims are being held in a prison. The disease is spread by fleas carried by rats. If left untreated, it is fatal within 24 hours. In the 14th Century, 25 million people in Europe fell victim but modern antibiotics can stop the disease in it’s tracks. Many of the victims on the poverty stricken island were being held in a rat-infested prison. Experts say that Africa - especially Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo - accounts for more than 90% of cases worldwide. The Pasteur Institute of health experts believe they can contain the outbreak but spokesman Evaristo Oliviera said: “If the plague gets into prisons, there could be a sort of atomic explosion of plague within the town. "The prison walls will never prevent the plague from getting out and invading the rest of the town.” During the last 20 years, three countries experienced outbreaks of human plague after dormant periods of up to 50 years. The areas were India in 1994 and 2002, Indonesia in 1997 and Algeria in 2003. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #5 People there generally know how to deal, live with it The key point in dealing with it there is to always keep it in the back of your mind, any fever, any rash, any severe illness -- is it or is it not a Y. Pestis? Because the sooner it's recognized and treated, the likelier it is to be cured. There are not many infections like it. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2013-12-22 22:27 |
| #4 Just wait til the resistant strains of that get loose. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick - Schlumberger Squishy Mud Division 2013-12-22 22:21 |
| #3 Has Madagascar closed its ports yet? (Sorry--that's the Pandemic computer game.) |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2013-12-22 14:21 |
| #2 BP is endemic to New Mexico. People there generally know how to deal, live with it in the area like always wearing long pants and socks when in the open range area. Usually only about a half dozen cases a year. Several additional cases of pets picking it up around the edges of cities and towns. |
| Posted by: P2kontheroad 2013-12-22 08:18 |
| #1 "Rat infested Prisons" has a nice cultural diversity ring to it, don't you think? We must be tolerant of other people's lifestyles. And some countries are just "colorful" places to begin with. Perhaps we should send a panel of Democrats to investigate so we can vote the rat infested a lot of money, And send Hillary to look into Prison Reform and get Kerry to have a few photo Ops with the local officials and promise that the US will "get involved". The Liberals can adopt the cause and offer to "do something". Perhaps Occupy Wall Street can get some coverage illustrating the evils of Capitalism being the root cause and feature a lot of pictures of naked little children in crowds holding begging bowls. Or bouquets.... or something. How close is Yemen to Madagascar? |
| Posted by: Spereting Tingle4064 2013-12-22 02:24 |