A possible case of plague in Russia has attracted international attention after a research associate from the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute died under unclear circumstances. US President Donald Trump said he intends to speak with Vladimir Putin to obtain information about what happened. The situation will also be discussed in Brussels at a meeting of the European Union Health Security Committee, and Mongolia and China have requested additional data from the Russian authorities, Meduza reports.
At this stage, the cause of death has not been confirmed as plague. If confirmed, it would be the first recorded case of the disease in Russia since 2016. In comparison, the US sees an average of seven cases per year, including the pulmonary form.
WHO assesses risk as low
The World Health Organization has asked Russian authorities for information about the situation in the Irkutsk region. The organization has assessed the risk to people in Russia as low and to the population in Europe as very low.
Plague is not easily transmitted from person to person. People who have been in contact with the deceased have been quarantined and are being monitored. Early antibiotic treatment can help control the disease, and vaccination against the infection is available in Russia.
Lack of information heightens concern
International concern appears to be related not so much to a confirmed outbreak as to the lack of clear official explanations from the Russian authorities. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stressed that “modern, full and transparent information sharing“ is necessary to accurately assess the risk and clarify conflicting messages.
US officials told The Wall Street Journal that “extremely little” information about the case has been provided by the Russian authorities. According to The Washington Post, the US State Department is preparing a diplomatic message requesting additional data on the employee's death and the subsequent quarantine measures.
The data currently does not indicate a confirmed epidemic, but the final assessment depends on the clarification of the cause of death and information on the health status of the contacts.
Sources: meduza.io