Russia denies anti-plague measures after pneumonia death

Russiadenied claims that it was imposing anti-plague measures following the death of a laboratory technician of pneumonic plague.

The woman worked at the anti-plague institute in Siberia's Irkutsk region.

The authorities in Russia, however, said the cause of death is yet to be confirmed, and Moscow's health authority Rospotrebnadzor has denied claims the country had put special measures in place.

Authorities deny reports of plague

According to Rospotrebnadzor, the information "does not originate from official sources" and is "untrue," with Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev adding that the inspection had found that the woman's death was a result of pneumonia.

"No microorganisms linked to the young woman's professional work were found in her biological samples," he said.

Plague is a disease that can occur in several forms, including pneumonic plague, known to be the most contagious and potentially fatal if not treated early.

Some reports in Russia suggested the woman could have caught the disease from a broken test tube, while others speculated on a potential link between her death and a lab accident at the institute.

The woman may have come into contact with up to 200 people, all of whom are under quarantine, according to one report.

World Health Organization monitoring situation

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the information it had received from Russia suggests that "no case" of the disease has so far been recorded in Irkutsk. 

Russia has launched an epidemiological investigation into a case of pneumonia, labeled as "community acquired," in an employee at the Irkutsk Institute.

"Test results showed no presence of dangerous infectious disease pathogens" in the people who came into contact with the person, the WHO said, adding that the agency estimates the risk to be "moderate to low" for Irkutsk.

The WHO is still monitoring the situation closely, it said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is monitoring the situation.

According to Rubio, Russia needs to "share more information with the world."

Editor: Sean Sinico

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