The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented measures to identify and assess travelers arriving from a Russian region where a potential plague case has been reported. The agency confirmed that an estimated 200 individuals from the affected area travel to the U.S. each year, entering through airports where CDC personnel are stationed.
"CDC is closely monitoring the situation and has established measures in place to identify and assess travelers arriving from the affected region," the CDC stated. "CDC has longstanding systems and trained personnel in place to detect and respond to potential public health risks at U.S. ports of entry. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust our public health response as conditions warrant."
Currently, no "do-not-board" orders are in effect related to the reported case. This list, enforced by the Transportation Security Administration, prohibits individuals with contagious diseases posing a public health threat from obtaining boarding passes for flights into, out of, or within the U.S.
Dr. Erica Schwartz, the CDC's director, expressed confidence in the agency's preparedness during an event on Wednesday. "We are well positioned to make sure that we are protected from a potential threat such as plague," she said. Dr. Schwartz added that the CDC is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies to track individuals entering the U.S. from the region.
"We are very confident that the threat to the United States is extremely low," she stated. "We are working with Department of Homeland Security, working [with] Department of State, Department of War and other agencies within the government to make sure that we know exactly if anyone from that area comes into the United States."
These developments follow reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicating a lack of sufficient information from Russian authorities to conduct a full risk assessment. Initial reports suggested a lab worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute died of the plague, but Russian officials later stated the individual died of pneumonia and that the illness was unrelated to their work.
During a press conference, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned that the WHO requested more information from Russia on Saturday. Russia responded on Tuesday, asserting that no recent plague cases had been reported in the Irkutsk Oblast and that approximately 200 contacts were under quarantine. The CDC reiterated its commitment to monitoring the situation and adjusting its public health response as necessary.