The ancient ritual of 'famadihanaf, or turning of the bones, sees relatives dig up their dead loved ones, have the deceased’s body rewrapped and paraded through the streets while dancing iwith them.

And the macabre ritual is now being blamed for the rise and spread of BLACK DEATH plague across the nation.

So far the twin horrors of bubonic plague and pneumonic pague have infected more than 1,500 - and the figure is growing.

In the 14th century the Black Death spread across the Mediterranean and Europe, killing up to 60 percent of Europe's total population.

More than 100 MILLION may have perished - reducing the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million.

Madagascar, is an island nation off the coast of south-east Africa.

The plague has spread from the Ankazobe District, where the outbreak originated, into the capital of Antananarivo and the port city of Toamasina.

Bubonic plague which is spread by fleas and was responsible for one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.

But officials are looking to stop the rapid spreading of the disease, which has a 100 per cent fatality rate if not treated, and have told residents to stop practicing the ritual of ‘famadihana’.