RELATIVES dancing with the corpses of their loved ones who have died from the Black Death are helping to spread the plague, officials have warned.

Madagascans have been told to stop the traditional practice of Famadihana - which sees locals dig up deceased relatives and dance with them before they are re-buried.

13 Relatives dancing with the corpses of their loved ones are helping to spread the plague, officials have warned Credit: AFP or licensors

It is feared the ceremony has helped spread an outbreak of pneumonic plague that has left more than 120 dead on the African island.

The country's health chief Willy Randriamarotia said: "If a person dies of pneumonic plague and is then interred in a tomb that is subsequently opened for a Famadihana, the bacteria can still be transmitted and contaminate whoever handles the body."

The tradition has been banned since the outbreak began, but it is feared ceremonies have taken place regardless.

Some locals are openly dismissing the advice.

What is the Black Death plague epidemic in Madagascar and what are bubonic plague symptoms?

13 Madagascans have been told to stop the traditional practice of Famadihana - which sees locals dig up deceased relatives and dance with them before they are re-buried Credit: AFP or licensors

13 It is feared the ceremony has helped spread an outbreak of pneumonic plague that has left more than 120 dead on the African island Credit: AFP or licensors

13 The country's health chief Willy Randriamarotia said: 'If a person dies of pneumonic plague and is then interred in a tomb that is subsequently opened for a Famadihana, the bacteria can still be transmitted and contaminate whoever handles the body' Credit: AFP or licensors

13 The latest warning came as British aid workers said the epidemic will get worse before it gets better Credit: AFP or licensors

13 The tradition has been banned since the outbreak began, but it is feared ceremonies have taken place regardless Credit: AFP or licensors

13 One Madagascan said: 'I have participated in at least 15 Famadihana ceremonies and I've never caught the plague' Credit: AFP or licensors

13 As many as 50 aid workers are believed to have been among the 1,200 people infected with the more dangerous airborne pneumonic strain of the disease Credit: AFP or licensors

One said: "I have participated in at least 15 Famadihana ceremonies and I've never caught the plague."

The latest warning came as British aid workers said the epidemic will get worse before it gets better.

Olivier Le Guillou of Action Against Hunger said: "The epidemic is ahead of us, we have not yet reached the peak."

As many as 50 aid workers are believed to have been among the 1,200 people infected with the more dangerous airborne pneumonic strain of the disease.

The Sun revealed yesterday how warnings have been issued for NINE countries surrounding Madagascar amid fears the disease could spread via sea trade and flight routes.

13 WHO has issued alerts for nine countries surrounding Madagascar where the outbreak has occurred

13 The outbreak has torn through the island taking the deadlier and airborne pneumonic strain Credit: Afp or licensors

13 Some 1,300 people have been infected by the deadly Medieval disease Credit: AFP or licensors

13 Red Cross officials work in Antananarivo, Madagascar, where the plague has struck Credit: AFP or licensors

13 A doctor from the local Ministry of Health staffs a heathcare checkpoint Credit: AFP or licensors

Dr Ibrahima-Soce Fall says World Health Organisation are working to prevent the spread of plague on Madagascar

The nine countries the WHO has warned of being at risk are:

Kenya

Ethiopia

South Africa

Mozambique

Tanzania

Reunion

Mauritius

Seychelles

Comoros

The medieval disease notoriously wiped out one third of Europe's population in the 13th and 14th centuries in one of the most devastating pandemics in human history known as the Black Death.

Dr Ashok Chopra, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas, told The Sun Online the crisis in Madagascar had yet to peak.

He warned it was possible for the deadly plague to move further into the region given the regular flights going in and out of the country.

Dr Chopra said: "If they are travelling shorter distances and they're still in the incubation period, and they have the pneumonic (form) then they could spread it to other places.

"We don't want to have a situation where the disease spreads so fast it sort of gets out of control."

WHAT IS THE PLAGUE? Plague is an infectious disease caused by bacteria usually found in small mammals and their fleas. It has an extremely high fatality rate and is very infectious, although it can be treated by antibiotics if it's caught early. There are three forms of plague infection: pneumoic plague, septicaemic plague and bubonic plague, the most common form. Bubonic plague was known as the Black Death in medieval Europe, where an outbreak brought entire civilisations to their knees and decimated the world's population. Black Death is spread through the bite of infected fleas, whereas pneumonic plague, the most contagious form, develops after a bubonic infection. Pneumonic infections can then be spread through the air, while septicaemic plague occurs when infection spreads through the bloodstream. The three different types of plague all refer to different ways the disease can be spread. In bubonic infections, plague-causing bacteria can be transmitted between animals and fleas, with infected fleas then passing the disease on to people through bites. Infected people may then develop pneumonic plague once their bubonic infection becomes advanced. Lung-based pneumonic plague can then sometimes be transmitted through the air between sufferers. Following a pneumonic or bubonic infection, people can then develop septicaemic plague, which occurs when the infection spreads through the bloodstream. The World Health Organisation describes plague symptoms as "flu like", with one to seven days between incubation and the symptoms emerging. Sufferers are likely to have painful lymph nodes, chills, fever, headaches, weakness and fatigue. In bubonic sufferers, these inflamed lymph nodes may end up turning into pus-filled open sores. Bubonic plague is fatal in 30-60 per cent of cases, while the pneumonic kind is always fatal, if left untreated.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours