CDC Monitors Travelers from Siberia Amidst Russian Plague Concerns
Director Erica Schwartz reassures minimal risk to the US while detailing inter-agency surveillance efforts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with multiple federal agencies to monitor travelers entering the United States from Siberia, following concerns about a potential pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia. CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz stated that the administration is actively identifying individuals arriving from the region.
"We are very confident that the threat to the United States is extremely low," Schwartz said at a Wall Street Journal health forum. The concerns are linked to the recent death of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia. Her death has led to speculation about a possible pneumonic plague infection, although Russian authorities maintain she died from pneumonia of unknown origin.
The CDC is working with the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and War to track potential arrivals. Schwartz noted that approximately 200 flights from Siberia arrive in the United States, primarily at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. A port health station has been established at JFK to conduct surveillance and screening.
Schwartz emphasized that pneumonic plague, a serious bacterial infection spread through respiratory droplets, is treatable with common antibiotics if detected and treated early. The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested more information from Moscow regarding Shipilova's death.
In Russia, about 200 people who had contact with the deceased laboratory worker were placed under quarantine. However, regional governor Igor Kobzev reported on Thursday that preventive measures were completed and extensive testing had detected no pathogens. Russian officials have not definitively ruled out pneumonic plague as the cause of Shipilova's death, according to The Associated Press.
Schwartz indicated that discussions with U.S. officials are ongoing to ascertain the precise events in Siberia, and the administration is operating with information about an unconfirmed case of pneumonic plague.