The United States has urged its citizens in Russia to leave the country immediately over reports of a possible pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region. The warning was issued by the US Embassy in Moscow, which stressed that the US government's ability to provide assistance to its citizens is severely limited, especially outside the capital.
“The US Embassy is aware of media reports from the Irkutsk region about a suspected pneumonic plague that has resulted in the death of a person, as well as the related quarantine measures and closure of hospitals in Irkutsk“, the warning states.
The State Department maintains the fourth, highest level of travel warning for Russia – “Do not travel“. US citizens already in the country are urged to leave, and those planning to travel are advised to cancel. Those who do not follow the advice are reminded to have their own evacuation plan that does not depend on US government assistance.
Death of lab technician raises alarm
The case is related to the death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, a lab technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute. According to the widely circulated version on September 25, she probably broke a test tube with the causative agent of pneumonic plague at her workplace.
On September 29, Shipilova was admitted to hospital with symptoms of severe pneumonia. She died on October 2 in the Shelekhov regional hospital. After her death, quarantine measures were introduced in the region, and on October 3, medical facilities in Irkutsk went into closed mode. Almost 200 people who could have been in contact with her were isolated.
Moscow denies confirmed plague
Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed that the death was caused by pneumonic plague. Rospotrebnadzor has indicated pneumonia of unknown cause, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged the population not to believe rumors.
European media reported that restrictions had been introduced in several medical facilities in the region. Amidst the conflicting data, the World Health Organization confirmed that it had received information from the Russian authorities about the incident and is assessing the risk of the disease spreading. Confirmation of a widespread outbreak has not been made public.
US President Donald Trump has offered assistance to Russia in connection with the case. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Moscow to provide more information about the death of the laboratory assistant and the sanitary measures taken.
Sources: pravda.com.ua, amp.dw.com, ru.euronews.com