MADAGASCAR FACES NEW, TERRIFYING THREAT

The already
troubled African island of
Madagascar faces a new and
terrifying threat: bubonic plague.
In recent years, the Indian Ocean
nation has become the world's
top site for the storied disease,
with hundreds of cases and
scored of plague deaths last year.
Aid officials are warning that
things could get worse unless
more is done to prevent and
fight the spread of the often-
deadly disease.
Madagascar is the world's
hotspot for this flea-borne
disease. It first gained infamy in
the 14th century for killing some
25 million people in Europe. That
epidemic earned the disease its
ominous nickname, Black Death.
Last year, Madagascar saw more
cases of bubonic plague than
anywhere in the world, with 256
cases and 60 deaths. The
International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) says that some
500 cases have been recorded
on the island every year since
2009.
The ICRC this week announced a
campaign with Malagasy
authorities to eliminate flea-
ridden disease-carrying rodents
in a prison in the capital. Prisons
in the nation are often
overcrowded and dirty, making
them ideal breeding grounds for
disease.
Bubonic plague is rare in the
modern era. But ICRC spokesman
Jean-Yves Clémenzo says it
persists in some pockets of the
world, like Madagascar. He spoke
to VOA from Geneva. "It's not
only Madagascar. You have still
cases of plague in around 15
countries in the world, mainly the
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Madagascar and some South
American countries," he stated.
"It's mainly due to poor health
conditions, poor infrastructure."
Bubonic plague sounds terrifying
because it is. Victims who are
bitten by plague-infected fleas --
carried on rats -- often develop
painful lymph-node swelling, flu-
like symptoms and gangrene on
their extremities. Without life-
saving antibiotics, about two-
thirds of those infected will die,
according to the Centers for
Disease Control. Medical officials
say plague is not spread from
person to person. But no vaccine
is available.
Clémenzo said that it is vital to
not hesitate if you are bitten by a
flea and begin to experience
symptoms. "So if you fear that
you have plague, that you have
bites on the body, what is
important is to react very quickly,
as the disease can spread and
people can die in 24 hours. So
it's important to contact, to go to
the [nearest] health facility or to
contact the Institute Pasteur in
Antananarivo and to act very,
very, very quickly," he explained.
Madagascar has had some severe
problems recently. The cyclone-
prone island has suffered recent
tragedies of almost Biblical
proportions, including a locust
invasion, flooding and drought.
Those natural problems are
exacerbated by the island's
decline in recent years. A 2009
coup has made the island
increasingly isolated and aid
officials say they have seen an
economic decline since then.
Earlier this week, two U.N.
agencies reported that as many
as 4 million people in rural parts
of the country are now food
insecure because of a large-scale
crop failure.