The World Health Organization states that a possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia represents a “low risk” outside the country, as investigators probe the cause of the death of a laboratory worker that occurred last week.
The UN health body said it has been in contact with Russian authorities after the death of a woman who worked at the Irkutsk Institute of Plague Research (Siberia and the Far East).
This case and the investigation, headed by Russian officials, have rekindled memories of the COVID-19 pandemic and suspicions that the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Through an international health alert system, Russian health authorities reported on Tuesday that a complete set of preventive measures had been carried out, including tracing the contacts of the deceased woman, medical follow-up, and laboratory tests.
