Plague Outbreak Madagascar 04

Overview

Madagascar is experiencing a large outbreak of plague affecting major cities and other non-endemic areas since August 2017. Between 1 August and 15 October 2017, a total of 849 cases (suspected, probable and confirmed) including 67 deaths (case fatality rate 7.9%) have been reported from 37 (32.5%) out of 114 districts in the country. Of these, 568 cases (67%) were clinically classified as pneumonic plague, 155 (18.3%) were bubonic plague, one case was septicaemic plague, and 125 cases were unspecified. At least 39 healthcare workers have contracted plague since the beginning of the outbreak.