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Published: 09:25 EST, 24 November 2015 | Updated: 20:28 EST, 24 November 2015
Danger list: Endangered primates that are battling for survival
They
are our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, yet more than
half of the world's primates are facing extinction due to our
destruction of the habitats where they live.
Burning
and clearing of large areas of tropical forest, combined with hunting
of primates for food and illegal wildlife trade, has placed many species
of apes, lemurs and monkeys at risk of dying out.
These
include iconic species such as the Sumatran orang-utan, Grauer's
gorilla, the Northern brown howler monkey and the Hainan gibbon.
More
than half of the world's primates are at risk of dying out due to the
threat posed by habitat loss and hunting. The Hainan gibbon (pictured)
is thought to be the world's most endangered primate, with just 25 of
the animals left living on an isolated island in China
Scientists
and conservation experts have now updated a report on the world's 25
most endangered primates based on the current knowledge of the animals
numbers and the risks facing them.
Dr
Christoph Schwitzer, a primatologist and director of conservation at
Bristol Zoological Society who helped compile the list, said: 'This
research highlights the extent of the danger facing many of the world's
primates.
An ICRC-led programme is working to reduce prison rat populations
Two
cases of pneumonic plague - more deadly than bubonic plague - have been
reported in Madagascar, a health official has told the BBC.
It comes after it was confirmed that there was a deadly
outbreak of the bubonic plague in a village in the north-west of the
island.
Pneumonic plague can be inhaled and transmitted between humans without involvement of animals or fleas.
It is the most virulent and least common form of plague.
It can kill within 24 hours. 'Most deaths'
Bubonic plague hit a village near Madagascar's north-western town of Mandritsara last week.
At least 20 people were reported to have died.
The plague is spread because of poor hygiene
The Pasteur Institute of Madagascar confirmed on Tuesday that
tests taken from some bodies in the village, near the north-western town
of Mandritsara, last week showed that they had died of the plague.
However, it did not say how many people had died.
Pneumonic plague is caused by the same bacteria that occur in
bubonic plague - the Black Death that killed an estimated 25 million
people in Europe during the Middle Ages.
But while bubonic plague is usually transmitted by flea bites
and can be treated with antibiotics, pneumonic plague is easier to
contract and if untreated, has a very high case-fatality ratio, experts
say.
At least 21 people have died this week in northern Madagascar after contracting pneumonic plague, the Health Ministry says.
According to the reports, a village near the northwestern town of
Mandritsara on the island of Madagascar is where at least 21 people
perished following a deadly outbreak of the plague, the ministry said on
Wednesday.
Medical experts from the Pasteur Institute in Madagascar confirmed
tests had identified their cause of death as the bubonic plague, a
disease that claimed 25 million lives in the Middle Ages.
Male Xenopsylla cheopis (oriental rat flea) engorged with blood. This
flea is the primary vector of plague in most large plague epidemics in
Asia, Africa, and South America. Both male and female fleas can transmit
the infection.
Image Source : Wikimedia.Org
Author
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A deadly outbreak of the bubonic plague is running rampant on the
island of Madagascar, medical experts have confirmed. Tests established
the disease was responsible for the deaths of at least 20 villagers in
the northwestern town of Mandritsara. The island nation last year
recorded the world's highest number of plague-related casualties, with
60 lives claimed by the flea-borne disease. Bubonic plague - also known
as the Black Death - wiped out an estimated 25 million people in Europe
during the Middle Ages but there have been few instances reported in
recent years. Health officials are investigating the cause of the
outbreak, thought to have originated in prisons with a prevalence of
rats that carry the disease. The Pasteur Institute said towns and cities
faced increased risk of infection as ongoing political crises took its
toll on living conditions. It is hoped a second round of presidential
elections on December 20 will end the political deadlock.
Biohazard name:
Plague (bubonic, human)
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans,
and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as
Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue
hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa
fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or
unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this
level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is
mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain
multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous
detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all
traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are
electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time.
All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4
(P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate
the possibility of an accidental release.
Once feared as the Black Death, the rodent-borne disease that wiped out
one-third of the world’s population in the Middle Ages, bubonic plague
has killed 20 villagers in Madagascar in one of the worst outbreaks
globally in recent years, health experts have confirmed.
The confirmation that bubonic plague was responsible for the deaths
last week near the northwestern town of Mandritsara follows a warning in
October from the International Committee of the Red Cross that the
island nation was at risk of a plague epidemic.
The Pasteur Institute of Madagascar revealed on Tuesday that tests
taken from bodies in the village last week showed they had died of the
bubonic plague. The institute said it was concerned the disease could
spread to towns and cities where living standards have declined since a
coup in 2009.
The deaths are doubly concerning, because the outbreak occurred both
outside the island’s normal plague season, which runs from July to
October, and apparently at a far lower elevation than usual – suggesting
it might be spreading.
Bacteria that cause bubonic plague. The disease is spread by Xenopsylla cheopis fleas, whose main host is the black rat. Photograph: Rocky Mountain Laboratories/AP
Once feared as the Black Death – the
rodent-borne disease that wiped out a third of the world's population in
the Middle Ages – bubonic plague has killed 20 villagers in Madagascar in one of the worst outbreaks globally in recent years, health experts have confirmed.
The
confirmation that bubonic plague was responsible for the deaths last
week near the north-western town of Mandritsara follows a warning in
October from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that
the island nation was at risk of a plague epidemic.
The Pasteur
Institute of Madagascar revealed on Tuesday that tests taken from bodies
in the village last week showed that they had died of bubonic plague.
The institute added it was concerned the disease could spread to towns
and cities where living standards have declined since a coup in 2009.
The
deaths are doubly concerning because the outbreak occurred both outside
the island's normal plague season, which runs from July to October, and
apparently at a far lower elevation than usual – suggesting it might be
spreading.
Bubonic plague, which has disappeared from Europe and
large parts of the globe, is spread by bites from plague-carrying rat
fleas – Xenopsylla cheopis – whose main host is the black rat.
In Europe the threat of the Black Death pandemic, which appeared with
black rats brought by merchant ships from Asia, eventually died out as
black rats were displaced by brown rats and health and hygiene improved.
Last year about 60 people died of plague in Madagascar, the highest number globally.
