Suspicions of plague in Siberia and more and more questions to Moscow. The European Union and the World Health Organization insist that Russia provide clear data on the case and a possible second infected person.
Is there a real danger of spreading, how is pneumonic plague transmitted and what should we know about this infection, explained Prof. Dr. Asparuh Iliev from the University of Fribourg - Switzerland on the air of “Hello, Bulgaria”.
There is no concern for us at the moment, he said. The expert said that the incident in Russia occurred on September 29, and the next day the patient was admitted to the hospital. A local journalist and the governor of the neighboring region wrote on the Internet that it was about the plague. However, the information has been deleted, but it has not gone unnoticed. Iliev stressed that the Russian services claim that there is no danger, but it is clear that 200 people have been isolated, which indicates that there is a serious incident.
Dr. Iliev also explained that the plague in Russia is the same one that has been known since the Middle Ages. He also said that the institute in the country is legal and does not engage in military research. There are six such institutions in Russia, because the plague is still spreading in the world, and this happens through rats. Iliev also said that the infection is transmitted from animal to human through fleas, but today the risk is very low. “Contagion is very difficult. Pneumonic plague is also difficult to transmit from person to person, this only happens through very close contact. "It's a bacterium, not a virus," the professor said.
He noted that the incident in Russia occurred when a test tube broke, which should have been reported.
The pneumonic plague that is being discussed in Russia is dangerous, the mortality rate is very high, it must be diagnosed as quickly as possible and treated with antibiotics, explained Dr. Iliev.
He also said that in Russia, even before the change of regime, they were working with variants of the plague that were resistant to antibiotics. The goal was to use them as a biological weapon. In 2013, Russia withdrew from all biological weapons control treaties.