In October 1989, cases of human plague started to occur in Boteti district of Botswana. One hundred and seventy cases were recorded in total from 15 October 1989 to 6 April 1990. There were 12 deaths, giving a case fatality rate of 7%. All cases were of the bubonic type. A concerted control strategy based on sentinel surveillance, involving public education, flea and rodent control, chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis controlled the epidemic.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
World Health Organization. Human plague in 1988. Wkly Epidem Rec1989; 64: 345–7
2.
IsaacsonM. A review of some recent developments in human plague with special reference to southern Africa. Ecology Dis1984; 2: 161–71
3.
DavisDHS. A plague survey of Ngamiland, Bechuanaland Protectorate, during the epidemic of 1944–1945. S Afr Med J1946; 20: 462
4.
ChristieAB. Plague. In: WeatherallDJLedinghamJGGWarrellDA, eds. Oxford textbook of medicine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985: 205–10
5.
DavisDHS. Sylvatic plague in South Africa: history of plague in man 1919–43. Ann Trop Med Parasitol1948; 42: 207–17
