Deadly Madagascar flu infects thousands

Most of the victims live in the province of Fianarantsoa

By Alastair Leithead BBC, Johannesburg

An outbreak of influenza in Madagascar has now killed at least 374 peoople, and infected more than 5,000 over the past two months, according to the government.

Experts from the World Health Organisation are expected to arrive in the next couple of days to investigate the two virulent strains of flu.

Madagascar is still coming to terms with the effects of a seven-month-long political crisis, which has caused the economy to collapse.

Infectious diseases experts will help advise the new government on how to bring the outbreak under control.

Poverty blamed

The majority of those affected by the virus live in poor, isolated, rural communities, in the highlands of southern Madagascar, in Fianarantsoa, the poorest of the country's provinces.

But a second strain has also been identified in Tulear, a small port on the south-west coast.

A representative from the World Health Organisation said samples taken from victims proved it was an outbreak of influenza, and said that with the lack of primary health care, people in parts of the Indian-Ocean island may have lost their immunity to flu.

The political crisis and lack of money in rural areas has led to the number of people attending health centres dropping by half.

An awareness campaign has been launched in an effort to prevent the further spread of the virus.