Russia Denies Second Suspected Pneumonic Plague Case Amid WHO Inquiry
Russia's public health watchdog refutes claims of a second infection, stating a lab worker's death was from pneumonia of unknown origin.
Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, on Thursday denied reports that a lab worker who died in Siberia had spread infection to another person. The agency stated that extensive testing found no evidence her illness, which led to her death from pneumonia of unknown origin, was caused by pathogens she worked with at a plague research institute in Irkutsk.
Rospotrebnadzor informed the World Health Organization that no case of plague has been registered in the Irkutsk region. The agency dismissed reports of a second person falling ill after contact with the lab worker as fake. However, it did not provide new details regarding the lab worker's illness and death or the reasons for emergency measures implemented in the region.
The World Health Organization stated on Wednesday that it lacked clarity on the cause of the woman's October 2 death. Unconfirmed reports in Russia had attributed her death to pneumonic plague, a severe and potentially person-to-person transmissible form of the disease. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, urged Russia to share more information.
Van Kerkhove indicated that the WHO had more questions than answers regarding the situation at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute, which was established approximately a century ago to study plague in Siberian wildlife. The WHO has requested further details to ascertain the cause of the severe pneumonia, identify the pathogen that prompted public health responses, and clarify media reports about a second employee experiencing pneumonia of undetermined cause.
Rospotrebnadzor previously stated that a comprehensive range of anti-epidemic measures had been executed in connection with the ill individual, noting she had been vaccinated and possessed immunity to dangerous infections. The agency also reported that an inspection of biological safety protocols at the institute revealed no emergencies involving pathogens and confirmed adherence to all safety requirements. Russian authorities have maintained a limited flow of information regarding the case.