Topline
The World Health Organization on Tuesday said it was in contact with Russian health officials over the death of a researcher at a plague research institute in Siberia from an “unknown” pneumonia, but said the public-health risk appeared to be low, even as President Donald Trump expressed concern over the incident which reportedly resulted in nearly 200 people being quarantined.
A maintenance worker walks out of the headquarters of Russia’s consumer and health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor in Moscow.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
According to Russia’s national public health agency Rospotrebnadzor, the researcher worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov and had contracted “pneumonia of unknown etiology.”
When a reporter asked if he was concerned about “a potential plague outbreak,” Trump said, “I am,” adding the “germs have really become relatively stronger than they were, and things that used to work on pneumonia don’t work as well anymore.”
The president said the U.S. “will help” Russia with the problem, though he did not elaborate on what efforts the U.S. would take after revealing he had yet to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation.
Independent regional outlet Liudi Baikala reported that the researcher was a 28-year-old woman who worked as a lab technician at the institute and her death prompted authorities to place nearly 200 people under observation at a hospital.
Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk, held an emergency meeting with regional anti-epidemic officials and the head of Rospotrebnadzor late last week, saying on Telegram that this was in response to a “suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection,” affecting a resident in the region.
Kobzev added that the public health agency had implemented a “comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures.”
While Kobzev didn’t say what could have caused the “dangerous infection,” Alexey Tsydenov, the head of the neighboring region of Buryatia, said the woman “may have died of the plague,” while adding that there were no reported outbreaks in his region.
What has the wHO Said About The Russian Plague Researcher’s Death?
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told the Russian state-run TASS news agency that its officials were in contact with: “Russian health authorities to verify the event, its circumstances, the laboratory tests underway, and their results, the rationale for contact-tracing and the health status of contacts, as well as any potential international public health implication.” In a follow up statement, however, Lindmeier added that based on “unofficial information… the public health risk to the general population appears to be low.” The spokesperson noted that all of the deceased patient’s contacts have: “reportedly been identified and are being monitored for illness, and none to date have shown symptoms of illness.”
What Has Russia’s Top Health Authority Said About The Incident?
In a statement issued late Sunday, Rospotrebnadzor said the “sanitary and epidemiological situation” in Irkutsk and Shelekhov was “stable.” The agency said it conducted extensive testing and found no pathogens linked to the deceased patient’s laboratory work in her sample. The statement didn’t, however, specify if her pneumonia and death were caused by any other disease or how she may have contracted the illness. The statement, reported by state media agencies, added that no new cases of infectious disease have been reported among the plague institute’s employees in the past 10 days, and the institute also didn’t find any “emergency situations involving pathogenic microorganisms.” Testing of a deceased patient’s contacts revealed two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection, although it’s unclear if either were linked to the patient’s death.
What Is the Pneumonic Plague?
According to the World Health Organization, plague is a disease caused by the zoonotic bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is usually found in small mammals like rodents and in their fleas. The Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague, and it is transmitted from animals to humans through the bite of infected fleas. It can cause painful inflammation of the lymph node, called “buboes.” The less common pneumonic plague is far more virulent and can be transmitted through respiratory particles to other people; it can be highly fatal if not detected and treated early.
What We Don’t Know
Both the identity and the source of the deceased researcher’s “pneumonia of unknown etiology” remain unclear. It’s also unknown whether she contracted any form of the plague or whether an incident occurred in the lab. Liudi Baikala reported that the woman accidentally broke a test tube containing the plague pathogen at the lab, although this has not been confirmed by Russian authorities.
Tangent
On Sunday, Axios reported the White House is monitoring reports about the death of the researcher and the subsequent emergency quarantine measures implemented by Russian authorities. An unnamed official from the Trump administration told the outlet that it is “aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options.” The State Department told ABC News on Monday it was “aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia,” adding, “We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners.”
further reading
Nearly 200 People Under Observation After Irkutsk Lab Worker Dies From Plague (The Moscow Times)
Researcher at Russian plague laboratory dies of ‘unknown’ infection (CNN)
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