Health experts are warning there is “something different” about a new Black Death outbreak spreading across the world. Some 1,300 cases of the pneumonic plague, which is transmitted by air, have now been confirmed. An estimated 50 million lives were lost as a result of the Black Death epidemic of the 1300s. And now the deadly disease has spread into more African countries after taking root in Madagascar.

Countries affected include South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion. So far, the virus has killed 124 people and infected around 1,300, but scientists say this figure will definitely rise. The World Health Organisation, which has been working with Madagascar’s Ministry of Health, has warned the risk of the epidemic spreading is “high”. READ MORE


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