What happened
Russia has implemented preventive measures after a laboratory worker at the Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East died, sparking concerns over a potential plague outbreak. The worker was diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin, but it is unclear if they contracted plague.
According to Russia's consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, a set of anti-epidemic measures was put in place, including identifying and monitoring people who had contact with the patient. The public health situation in the Irkutsk region and surrounding cities remains under control, with no infectious disease cases reported among other employees at the research laboratory in the past 10 days.
Testing of the patient's samples found no microorganisms associated with their professional activities. Two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection were detected, but no other infectious agents were found. None of the contacts have shown any changes in health related to infectious pathology.
The head of the nearby Republic of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, suggested that the worker may have died of plague, but emphasized that there are no plague outbreaks in the republic. The Irkutsk Governor, Igor Kobzev, stated that all contacts under medical observation have shown no signs of illness and tested negative for the disease.
The US State Department is aware of the reports and is monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and other interagency partners. They encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.
