An outbreak of the pneumonic and bubonic plague has claimed 21 lives in Madagascar so far, forcing the United Nations (UN) to step up its response, AP reported Monday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Sunday that the Malagasy government had confirmed that a Seychelles basketball coach visiting the country had died from the disease last Wednesday.

While the WHO is deploying further staff and supplies to counter the disease spreading further, the country’s authorities are trying to trace who the basketball coach came into contact with so that they can administer antibiotics against the disease.

To date there are at least 114 confirmed cases of the plague which was identified last August.