Madagascar bubonic plague threat - in 60 seconds

Madagascar faces a bubonic plague epidemic unless it slows the spread of the disease - with prisoners in the island's rat-infested jails particularly at risk, experts warn.

The island had 256 plague cases and 60 deaths last year, the world's highest recorded number.

The number of cases rises each October as hot humid weather attracts fleas, which transmit the disease from rats and other animals to humans.

The BBC outlines the scale of the threat to the southern African nation - in 60 seconds.

Produced by Dougal Shaw

  • Subsection
  • Published