The deadly plague epidemic that has rocked the island of Madagascar could reach mainland Africa.

The deadly plague epidemic that has rocked the island of Madagascar could reach mainland Africa, a respected disease expert has warned.

The outbreak, which has been described the worst in 50 years' and has now reached "crisis" point, has prompted World Health Organization officials to place nine African countries on high alert.

South Africa, Seychelles, La Reunion, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros and Mauritius have all been told to brace for potential cases in the coming weeks, reports Daily Mail. Today Paul Hunter, professor of health protection at the world-renowned University of East Anglia, is the first expert to predict it could reach mainland Africa.

www.nzherald.co.nz...

I wonder, we will ever have a pandemic a la the Simian Flu from the new Planet of the Apes movies?

this is airborne... I really hope we put travel restrictions on Africa this time and not let people in. Pneumonic plauge is the name of it ... ether I missed it or was left out but looks far worse that normal plauge or Ebola

I'll worry about it when it reaches me. Until then, seems like another unjustified swine flu/ebola/zika scare.

a reply to: starwarsisreal

We had the nasty flu back in the early 1900s so yes we probably will eventually

a reply to: starwarsisreal

I wonder, we will ever have a pandemic a la the Simian Flu from the new Planet of the Apes movies?

No, it will probably (amazingly) only affect Africa, just like Ebola. 'They' will let it runs its course there, kill as many as possible. Even if they all die the natural sources will still be there.

Edit: Think in terms of Small Pox infected blankets...

a reply to: starwarsisreal

The flu of 1912 was close, the bubonic closer..
I’m not sure how many of the old ones were bacterial and thus made nearly irrelevant by antibiotics..


I say a WHO official asked that question, but without the POTA’s reference obviously lol, and he said

“ we have them all the time.. your welcome..”

Lol.

This really isn't as big a news story as it's being played. Plague is so common on Madagascar that they officially have a six-month "Plague Season". This year's outbreak is a bit worse than usual, so far. But it's only just started, and it's too soon to go predicting its course.

As far as I know, the plague hasn't spread to mainland Africa during any of the previous epidemics (again, remember this epidemic happens predictably every six months). Or - if it ever has - then it hasn't caused enough panic for media to mention it. Madagascar is naturally "quarantined" already, being an island, and it has very poor travel links that are easily shut down.

As for why on Earth anyone would choose to live on an island where there's a bubonic plague epidemic for half the year, every year, I cannot imagine.

As poster above says, this is no big deal at all. It happens all the time. It's fully treatable with a course of basic antibiotics.

Probably an issue only for people who can't afford or get access to antibiotics.

originally posted by: markovian
this is airborne... I really hope we put travel restrictions on Africa this time and not let people in. Pneumonic plauge is the name of it ... ether I missed it or was left out but looks far worse that normal plauge or Ebola

Ya, but we can't call it a "restriction" or the liberals will be up in arms. Anything that restricts human freedoms will be criticized and torn apart at all costs.

a reply to: starwarsisreal

Is this the same one or not: New 'Black Death' FOUND: Deadly virus WORSE than plague and with no CURE breaks out - WHO


Thanks!

Hope that dumb bitch nurse doesn't go to help them ,and end up bringing it back with her like last time .

a reply to: silo13

No, it's not. The story itself tells you that it's a separate disease outbreak in Uganda, which is a mainland African nation (just under 3,000km from Madagascar, and the two do not share a land or sea border, which gives you some idea of how vast Africa is).

Also, it's from the Daily Express, which is Britain's second-worst newspaper, so keep your salt-cellar handy.

they always got the bubonic plague..this year it is pneumatic (in the lungs) plague spread by coughing....easier to spread..important part you left out...the world bank released an extra 1 million dollars to fight this....

originally posted by: audubon
This really isn't as big a news story as it's being played. Plague is so common on Madagascar that they officially have a six-month "Plague Season". This year's outbreak is a bit worse than usual, so far. But it's only just started, and it's too soon to go predicting its course.

As far as I know, the plague hasn't spread to mainland Africa during any of the previous epidemics (again, remember this epidemic happens predictably every six months). Or - if it ever has - then it hasn't caused enough panic for media to mention it. Madagascar is naturally "quarantined" already, being an island, and it has very poor travel links that are easily shut down.

As for why on Earth anyone would choose to live on an island where there's a bubonic plague epidemic for half the year, every year, I cannot imagine.

a reply to: Painterz

That's what i was thinking too,when i heard of this outbreak - just get some antibiotics and you're likely to be fine.

originally posted by: research100
they always got the bubonic plague..this year it is pneumatic (in the lungs) plague spread by coughing....easier to spread..important part you left out...the world bank released an extra 1 million dollars to fight this....

It's exactly the same micro-organism in all three "types" of plague, the "type" just depends on where in the human body the bacteria sets up shop. I used "bubonic plague" because which disease I'm talking about would be more widely recognised by others (but avoided saying "Black Death" because it's too dramatic).

At present, about 65% of Madagascan plague patients are pneumatic, the remainder are bubonic (nuff said) and septicemic (don't ask). It is the same virus in everybody, and it's spread the same way - by flea-bites.

It can be spread by coughing, but only if the infected person's saliva actually lands in your mouth or on an open cut. (It hasn't "gone airborne", this is just a meme that the media got from that Dustin Hoffman movie "Outbreak".)

The World Bank has been monitoring the situation for a while now, because it doesn't want a repeat of the Ebola fiasco, where infected people wandered freely around the world (causing more "panic" than "pandemic", if you think back). And before that, there was the great Swine Flu Panic of 2009, where again nothing much really happened. The World Bank's current $5m funding injection is pretty small beer in terms of a health budget, equivalent to around $5 per head of the Madagascan population.

You can read the World Bank's statement on the issue here. It's a preventative measure, rather than a "disaster relief fund" as the media are hyping it up to be.

It could all escalate into some doomsday scenario, I suppose, but right now that's not even a distant prospect.

originally posted by: Denoli
Hope that dumb bitch nurse doesn't go to help them ,and end up bringing it back with her like last time .

Well being a nurse myself its what we do. You know "Help People" so you can chalk me up in the "Dumb bitch nurse" category.

Nursing and medicine in general is about experience. How to deal with things etc. Why do you think the Army sends its docs to say a major urban trauma center? To get that experience.

a reply to: JoshuaCox

1917 through 1920

a reply to: BlueJacket

Fair enough.

originally posted by: JoshuaCox
a reply to: starwarsisreal

The flu of 1912 was close, the bubonic closer..
I’m not sure how many of the old ones were bacterial and thus made nearly irrelevant by antibiotics..


I say a WHO official asked that question, but without the POTA’s reference obviously lol, and he said

“ we have them all the time.. your welcome..”

Lol.

They didn't have the same levels of sanitation as we do have now. Ships had rats in their holds. Freight was transported in wooden palettes. If they didn't have rats, they would still carry fleas. Everything exported to Europe would end up being contaminated. Europe didn't have much in terms of sanitation. Usually they just threw buckets of **** out the windows and then let the street cleaners wash everything away. Only when the Victorians added sewers was that problem fixed. Housing density was also far higher due to the high costs of land and whole families living in one room.
All due to lack of house building.

originally posted by: FredT

originally posted by: Denoli
Hope that dumb bitch nurse doesn't go to help them ,and end up bringing it back with her like last time .

Well being a nurse myself its what we do. You know "Help People" so you can chalk me up in the "Dumb bitch nurse" category.

Nursing and medicine in general is about experience. How to deal with things etc. Why do you think the Army sends its docs to say a major urban trauma center? To get that experience.

Yes its the dumbest thing to do , if you go to help them and bring the flu back that is been dumb .

Can't you see that ?