Russian plague alert: WHO questions second illness reported before Trump-Putin call

Top line

The World Health Organization said it was “actively following” the mysterious death of a researcher at a plague research institute in Siberia and said it had also requested details from Russian officials about reports of a second case of pneumonia linked to the laboratory, as President Donald Trump said he was set to speak “very soon” with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the global health agency had requested more details from Russia about the researcher’s death.

Associated Press

Key facts

In a long statement aboutWHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO had requested more details about the “cause of the severe pneumonia” in the deceased researcher and “the pathogen that prompted the public health measures.”

The WHO chief also said the global health body had asked for details on “reports of a second employee suffering from pneumonia of undetermined cause”, a likely reference to some unverified Russian media reports of a second case.

Speaking to journalists Outside the White House, Trump said he had planned a call with Putin “very soon.”

Asked if U.S. intelligence agencies had details about the incident, the president said “we are in very deep discussions” and his administration will be able to provide more details “probably tomorrow.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US government pressured Russia for not disclosing more details about the researcher’s death in an official diplomatic communication, stressing that its lack of details about the incident violated its international health obligations.

The WHO statement shared by Tedros also noted that: “Timely, comprehensive and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable accurate assessment of potential risks to public health. »

Russia’s national public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, is investigating the death of a 28-year-old woman who worked as a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia and the Far East and died on October 2 from “pneumonia of unknown etiology.”

His death prompted authorities to place nearly 200 people under observation at a hospital and researchers are carrying out laboratory tests to better trace the cause of his pneumonia, which some fear was a case of the highly deadly pneumonic plague.

Russian health officials told the World Health Organization on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk, and Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk, said the public health agency had implemented a “comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures.”

What else have Trump officials said about the plague scare?

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday, “We will always help anyone who has that kind of problem,” when asked about the researcher’s death, but he said he had not yet spoken to Russian officials about the matter and that it was unclear how exactly the United States would help with the situation. “I hate to see them suffer,” Trump said. “It’s a serious illness.” On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that information from Russia was “still pretty limited” and urged the country to be transparent, adding: “Maybe there’s nothing there. Maybe it’s more important than we thought. We don’t know.”

What we don’t know

The source of the researcher’s “pneumonia of unknown etiology” remains unclear, nor is it known whether she contracted some form of plague or whether an incident occurred in the laboratory. Liudi Baïkala reported that the woman accidentally broke a test tube containing the plague pathogen in the laboratory, although this has not been confirmed by Russian authorities.

What did the WHO say about the Russian researcher’s death?

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Russia’s official TASS news agency that its officials were in contact with: “Russian health authorities to verify the event, its circumstances, ongoing laboratory tests and their results, the rationale for contact tracing and the health status of contacts, as well as any potential international public health implications.” However, in a follow-up statement, Lindmeier added that based on “unofficial information… the public health risk to the general population appears low.” The spokesperson noted that all contacts of the deceased patient have: “reportedly been identified and are being monitored for illness, and none to date have shown symptoms of illness.” »

What did Russia’s top health authority say about the incident?

In a press release published Sunday evening, Rospotrebnadzor said the “sanitary and epidemiological situation” in Irkutsk and Shelekhov was “stable”. The agency said it conducted extensive testing and found no pathogens linked to the deceased patient’s lab work in her sample. The statement, however, does not specify whether her pneumonia and death were caused by another illness or how she may have contracted the disease. The statement, reported by state media, added that no new cases of infectious diseases have been reported among employees of the plague institute over the past ten days, nor has the institute found any “emergency situations involving pathogenic microorganisms.” Testing of contacts of a deceased patient revealed two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection, although it is unclear whether either was linked to the patient’s death.

What is pneumonic plague?

According to the World Health Organization, which Trump withdrew In the United States, as of this year, plague is a disease caused by the zoonotic bacterium Yersinia pestis, usually found in small mammals such as rodents and their fleas. Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is spread from animals to humans through the bite of infected fleas. This can cause painful inflammation of the lymph nodes, called “buboes.” Pneumonic plague, less common, is much more virulent and can be transmitted to other people by respiratory particles; it can be very fatal if not detected and treated early.

Tangent

The State Department said ABC News On Monday, he was “aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia,” adding, “We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners.”