U.S. and WHO monitoring plague reports in Russia
U.S. officials and agencies are monitoring reports of pneumonic plague and associated quarantine measures in Russia’s Irkutsk region. President Trump said he has a call scheduled with Vladimir Putin after being asked about the matter.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said Tuesday that it was aware of press reports describing a suspected pneumonic plague death, quarantine measures and hospital closures in Irkutsk, a city in Siberia. “We continue to track the situation closely,” the statement said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is working with other U.S. government agencies to assess developments as more information becomes available.
“While the circumstances of this reported case remain unconfirmed, plague is a serious bacterial disease that is treatable with antibiotics, particularly when recognized and treated early,” the CDC said. “At this time, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States.”
Asked at the White House on Tuesday whether he had spoken with Putin about the matter, Trump said he had a “call scheduled” that would take place “very soon.”
Russian health authorities told the World Health Organization (WHO) that no plague case had recently been registered in Irkutsk oblast. They said an epidemiological investigation had been conducted and preventive and control measures implemented.
Identified contacts were placed under medical observation and tested. Russian authorities said no high-threat pathogens were detected among them and that their observation periods had been completed.
“WHO has requested further information to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures, and media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom said in a statement.
The worker who died was employed at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute and died on October 2 after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Initial reports suggested pneumonic plague following an accidental laboratory exposure, but Russian authorities have not confirmed that account.
