2017 pneumonic plague outbreak in Madagascar characterized by scientists

Plague is an endemic disease in Madagascar. Each year there is a seasonal upsurge between September and April, especially in the Central Highlands, which stand at an elevation of more than 800m. In 2017, an unprecedented pneumonic plague outbreak hit the main island, primarily affecting the capital Antananarivo and the main port city of Toamasina.

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, in collaboration with the Malagasy Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization and international experts, have described the scale and transmission dynamics of the 2017 pneumonic plague outbreak in Madagascar.

The scientists' analysis reveals a dominance of the pneumonic form, which represents 78% of the 2,414 reported suspected clinical cases. The number of confirmed or probable cases of pneumonic plague doubled on average every five days after the initial stage of the outbreak. The results of the study were published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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