Plague in Madagascar
From 2019 to 2025, Madagascar reported 693 lab-confirmed human plague cases and 307 deaths to the World Health Organization. In 2025: 51 confirmed, 29 deaths.
Confirmed cases by year
- Suspected cases, 2019–2025
- 1,482
- Lab-confirmed
- 693
- Probable
- 23
- Deaths
- 307
Year by year
| Year | Suspected | Confirmed | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 217 | 106 | 52 |
| 2020 | 122 | 60 | 30 |
| 2021 | 201 | 100 | 46 |
| 2022 | 311 | 131 | 59 |
| 2023 | 378 | 174 | 59 |
| 2024 | 166 | 71 | 32 |
| 2025 | 87 | 51 | 29 |
"Suspected" includes probable and confirmed cases. WHO counts deaths among all suspected cases.
Which form of plague
All plague is the same bacterium. What differs is where it attacks the body. How the forms differ
| Form | Cases | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Bubonic | 1,233 | 194 |
| Pneumonic | 230 | 95 |
| Other | 19 | 18 |
2019–2025, suspected cases. Source: WHO, Human plague, 2019 to 2025 (Table 11).
What WHO says about Madagascar
- Plague is endemic in Madagascar's central and northern highlands above 800 meters, with seasonal flare-ups from September to March.
- Madagascar reported confirmed cases every year, from 51 in 2025 to 174 in 2023.