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WHO and Russia say no further plague infections after Siberian lab worker's death
En breve
A female worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week from pneumonia of undetermined origin, according to Russian authorities and the WHO. Russia's Rospotrebnadzor said 60% of the identified contacts had been tested, with two cases of Covid-19 and two of rhinovirus found and no other pathogens detected, while the WHO said no case of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk and the public health risk appeared low. The cause of death has not been confirmed, and US officials have urged Moscow to share more information.
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Russian officials said no plague had been detected among close contacts of a worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East who died last week. Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer and health watchdog, said 60% of the identified contact group had been tested so far, and that laboratory testing identified two cases of Covid-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection, with no other infectious disease pathogens detected among the contacts. [ 2 , 5 ]
The World Health Organization said there were no signs of further infections in Russia and that Russian health officials had informed the agency, in response to its request, that no case of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk. According to the response quoted by the WHO, the woman's illness initially presented as a typical acute respiratory viral infection, and no case of plague or other high threat pathogen had reportedly been found among her close contacts. The WHO said it was awaiting confirmation from Russia on what pneumonia-causing pathogen had led to the individual's death. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
The WHO also said the public health risk to the general population appears to be low based on unofficial information available, adding that the risk assessment would be updated once more information was available. It said all of the patient's contacts had reportedly been identified and were being monitored, that none had shown symptoms to date, and that early testing results were reportedly negative, though it was unclear for which pathogens they were tested. [ 6 , 7 ]
The cause of death has not been confirmed. The Hill reported that the WHO, citing other reports, said a woman in her late 20s died of severe pneumonia in Russia on Friday, and that authorities are investigating whether pneumonic plague caused the death, as the research institute in Siberia studies dangerous pathogens including plague and plague can occur naturally in wild animals in the region. [ 7 ]
In the United States, a State Department spokesperson said Monday there had been “reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague” in Irkutsk oblast. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Tuesday that he believed it was incumbent on Russia to share more information on the laboratory where someone died. [ 5 , 7 ]
Maksim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhov municipal district near the border with Mongolia, said Friday that the inpatient facility where the worker is said to have been treated had been closed for quarantine. The WHO said it requested information from Russian authorities on Saturday, a request that under International Health Regulations gives Russia 24 hours to respond, and that it had not received a formal notification through those channels. The Hill reported it was unclear whether Russia had responded to the request. [ 5 , 7 ]
Por qué importa
The outlets covering the case are international wire and broadcast services, indicating worldwide attention to whether a dangerous pathogen was involved at a facility that studies plague. The WHO's assessment that the risk to the general population appears low limits immediate concern, but the unconfirmed cause of death and US calls for transparency keep the question open.
Datos clave
- A female worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week after what officials described as pneumonia of undetermined origin. [ 5 , 6 ]
- Russia's consumer and health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said 60% of the identified contact group had been tested so far. [ 5 ]
- Rospotrebnadzor said laboratory testing found two cases of Covid-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection, and that no other infectious disease pathogens were detected among contacts. [ 5 ]
- The WHO said Russian officials told it no case of plague had been recorded in the city of Irkutsk. [ 5 , 7 ]
- The WHO said the public health risk to the general population appears to be low based on unofficial information available. [ 6 , 7 ]
- A US State Department spokesperson said Monday there had been reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk oblast. [ 5 ]
- Maksim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhov municipal district, said Friday the inpatient facility where the worker is said to have been treated had been closed for quarantine. [ 5 ]
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was incumbent on Russia to share more information about the laboratory. [ 7 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- Russian authorities said no plague had been detected among contacts of the laboratory worker who died. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The WHO said Russian officials told it no case of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk. [ 5 , 7 ]
- The WHO said the public health risk to the general population appears to be low. [ 6 , 7 ]
- The laboratory worker died last week, according to Russian officials and the WHO. [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- The cause of the worker's death has not been confirmed. The Hill reported that the WHO said no cause of death has been confirmed and that the agency is awaiting confirmation from Russia on what pneumonia-causing pathogen led to the death.
- It is unclear whether Russia formally responded to the WHO's request for information under International Health Regulations channels. The Hill reported the WHO said it had not received a formal notification and that it was unclear if Russia had responded to its request.
- It is unclear which pathogens the contacts were tested for. The Hill reported early testing results were reportedly negative but it was unclear for which pathogens the contacts were tested.
- It has not been confirmed whether pneumonic plague was involved in the case. The Hill reported authorities are investigating whether pneumonic plague caused the death, while Russian authorities have not confirmed that plague was involved.
- Rospotrebnadzor, an official Russian body, said testing of contacts identified two cases of Covid-19 and two cases of rhinovirus, with no other pathogens detected. Reported by a single source so far
- A US State Department spokesperson said there had been reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk oblast. Reported by a single source so far
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Reuters reports the WHO says there are no signs of further Russian infections after the death of a laboratory worker. [ 1 ]
- Reuters reports Russian authorities say no plague cases have been detected among the contacts of the deceased laboratory worker. [ 2 , 3 ]
- NBC News reports officials say 60% of identified contacts have been tested, with two Covid-19 cases and two rhinovirus cases found. [ 5 ]
- CBS News reports the WHO says the public health risk “appears to be low”. [ 6 ]
- The Hill reports the WHO says there are no further signs of infection at the institute and quotes Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on Russia to share information. [ 7 ]