US, WHO seek clarity on suspected plague as Russia offers scanty details

The United States and the World Health Organisation (WHO)
are seeking more information from Russia over suspected cases of plague, as
Moscow remains largely silent on the reported infections.

 

The pressure comes after authorities said a female worker at
the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East, Russia, died
from a “pneumonia of undetermined” origin last week.

There have been varying reports as to how the lab worker
contracted the suspected plague. One media report said she reportedly told
medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live
bacteria while collecting samples for testing. Another said she undertook a
field trip to a region where plague occurs naturally among wild rodents.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, dismissed the reports
as rumours and speculation, saying an official statement would be issued by the
Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s national public health and consumer rights agency.

Rospotrebnadzor has said laboratory analysis of material
from the patient did not reveal any microorganisms associated with her work
handling dangerous pathogens.

There have been claims of a second pneumonia case linked to
the lab.

In a statement, Rospotrebnadzor said no emergency or
security breach occurred, adding that no other infectious disease complaints
had been registered among institute employees over the preceding 10 days.

The statement did not, however, specify if the lab worker’s
pneumonia and death were caused by any other disease or how she may have
contracted the illness.

US, WHO PRESS FOR MORE DETAILS

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, US
President Donald Trump said he has a call scheduled with Vladmir Putin, his
Russian counterpart, “very soon”.

Asked if US intelligence agencies have any details on the
incident, the president said “we are in very deep discussions,” adding that his
administration will be able to offer more details “probably tomorrow”.

Marco Rubio, secretary of state, said the information from
Russia was “still quite limited” and urged the country to practice
transparency.

“Maybe there’s nothing there. Maybe it’s bigger than we
thought. We don’t know,” Rubio said.

The secretary of state warned that Moscow’s failure to
disclose details about the lab worker’s death violates international health
obligations

Travel between the US and Russia is very limited and the
American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is no
indication of a broader threat to the US.

However, the agency said it is prepared and will continue to
monitor the situation closely.

In a separate statement, Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO
director-general, said the global health watchdog has requested further
information from Russian authorities 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.

“Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under
the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting
reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks,”
Ghebreyesus said.

A European Commission spokesperson also said Europe is “very
closely” monitoring the case.

The plague bacterium killed up to half the population of
Europe in the 14th century when it was known as the Black Death. It is found
among rodents such as marmots in the area.

It was in response to an outbreak in the 1920s that the
Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East was founded just more than
100 years ago.

Nearly 200 people are said to have been placed under medical
observation since the lab worker’s death.

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