Death toll from plague rises to 42 in Madagascar

Antannarivo, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) The death toll from the plague, which broke out in 5 districts of Madagascar, rises to 42, the Program Officer of prevention and fight against disease under the UN World Health Organization (WHO) office in Antananarivo, Rakotojanabelo Lamina Arthur said on Friday.

In an exclusive Interview with Xinhua, the WHO program officer said that the situation is changing every moment but the latest data recorded 42 deaths in 5 districts.

43 cases were recorded in Mandritsara, northeast of the country, 21 of them died while 22 are currently being healing. Some of the cases in Mandritsara run away to Soanierana Ivongo, east of the country and created 17 new cases but 9 of them died.

Other cases were identified so far in the southeast in Ikongo and Ikalamavony and in Tsiroanomandidy, which are already plague zones in Madagascar, Rakotojanabelo Lamina Arthur said.

"We are currently developing a strategy to control the plague epidemic," Rakotojanabelo said, adding that four health teams compounded by experts from the Institut Pasteur of Madagascar, officials from the ministry of Health and from the WHO, rushed to the infested districts to control the situation.

These health teams made aware of heath officials in these infested area and their neighboring districts which are threatened to the plague to be more careful on the inspection of all cases.

"Early warning and rapid riposte, is the most trusted strategy we are doing currently," Rakotojanabelo Lamina Arthur explained before making clear that the riposte consists on taking care of the sick and others who interact with them. "Also we spread pesticides to their areas," he said.

Rakotojanabelo said that Madagascar has enough doctors to heal the plague, but the medicines are not enough for the plague season, from November 2013 to April 2014.

"There are medicines from the WHO bought from a fund from the African Development Bank (ADB) but I fear it will not be sufficient," Rakotojanabelo said.