Madagascar – 29 November 2014

WHO confirms outbreak of the plague in Madagascar
The prime minister of Madagascar confirmed that the country is dealing with an outbreak of the plague. Prime Minister Kolo Christophe Laurent Roger said the government is implementing prevention measures and says there is free medical care for patients with plague-related illnesses.
The World Health Organization said that the outbreak of one of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases has killed 40 people out of 119 confirmed cases since late August. It also said the disease could spread rapidly in the capital of Madagascar.
KFOR-TV & K. QUERRY AND NBC NEWS

Plenty more fish in the sea: preserving stocks in Madagascar
When some of the older residents of Andavadoaka village in southwestern Madagascar were children, they were forbidden to swim in the sea at dawn or dusk, for fear of attracting unwelcome attention from sharks. Today the sharks have all gone. Fished, along with sea cucumbers, for lucrative export markets. Most of the larger fish and invertebrates have also vanished, sold to local markets or consumed by a coastal population that’s doubling in size every 10 to 15 years.
Rural Malagasy people in the arid south west have been hit particularly hard by the decline in fish populations. For the nomadic Vezo communities that inhabit this region, seafood is the sole source of protein (pdf) in 99% of household meals. Income is just over a dollar per person per day.
The Guardian