Antananarivo - At least 27 people in southern Madagascar have
died from the plague, health authorities on the island said Monday.
At least 68 people have been infected with the plague in the
Atsimo-Atsinanana and Ihorombe regions.
Most of the cases are of bubonic plague, which affects the lymph
nodes and is spread by fleas, but at least five people were diagnosed
with lung plague, which often spreads by breathing in bacteria.
The Indian Ocean island state is the country most affected by the
plague, which killed millions of people in the world in earlier
centuries.
The plague can be cured with antibiotics, but if it affects the
lungs, it can be fatal within 24 hours.