Air Seychelles (HM, Mahé) has announced the suspension of flights to Madagascar following an outbreak of pneumonic and pulmonary plague on the Indian Ocean island that has thus far killed over seventy people.
The official Seychelles News Agency reports the suspension of the carrier's 3x weekly Mahé-Antananarivo service is effective Friday, October 6, and follows the guidance and request of the Seychelles' Public Health Authority.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), from August 23 to September 30, 2017, a total of seventy-three suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of pneumonic plague, including seventeen deaths, have been reported in Madagascar.
The outbreak started following the death of a 31-year-old male from Ankazobe District in the Central Highlands (Hauts-Plateaux), a plague-endemic area. Since then, the Ministry of Public Health of Madagascar enhanced field investigations, contact tracing, surveillance, and monitoring all close contacts.
As of September 30, 10 Malagasy cities have reported pneumonic plague cases and the three most affected districts include: the capital city and suburbs of Antananarivo (27 cases, 7 deaths), Toamasina (18 cases, 5 deaths), and Faratshio (13 cases, 1 death).
