The U.S. State Department is monitoring a reportedly fatal case of “pneumonia of an unknown etiology” linked to a plague research laboratory in Russia.
“We are aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners,” a spokesperson from the State Department said.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” the spokesperson added.
Where the case of plague has been detected
Health authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region launched anti-epidemic measures after an employee of a plague institute was diagnosed with “pneumonia of an unknown etiology,” the country’s sanitary watchdog agency, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed on Sunday.
The lab involved is the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, in southern Siberia, Russia.
The statement comes after some Russian media and public figures reported a death potentially due to the plague and linked to a lab worker. Russian officials did not provide further details on the worker.
The Russian agency’s statement said that “no accidents have been detected at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute while working with pathogenic microorganisms.”
Their statement added that “the sanitary and epidemiological situation” in the Irkutsk Region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, is “stable.”
How Russian authorities are responding
Regional governor Igor Kobzev said in a statement on Friday that people who had contact with a resident who contracted a “particularly dangerous infection” were placed under medical observation.
Responding to the growing speculation, the governor on Monday said that “no microorganisms associated with the woman’s professional activities were found in her biomaterials” and that no other lab workers have sought medical help in recent days.
Officials said none of the identified contacts were showing symptoms so far and their laboratory tests were negative, according to Kobzev.
Before Rospotrebnadzor reported that the employee’s illness was due to pneumonia with an unknown cause, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of Buryatia, a region neighboring Irkutsk Oblast, suggested that a woman may have died of the plague.
Citing Buryatia’s health officials, Tsydenov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel on Friday that “the woman who died – possibly from the plague – in the Irkutsk Region had not visited Buryatia,” assuring Buryatia residents that “there are no plague outbreaks in the republic.”
Amid the investigation, some protective measures have been announced in the region. A mask mandate has been implemented at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant in Shelekhov, according to the plant’s director, Artem Fominykh.
“Better safe than sorry,” Fominykh wrote in a post on his Telegram channel on Saturday, asking the employees to “follow the precautions.” He added that some conflicting information about the situation is circulating in Shelekhov, and urged the plant employees to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any symptoms.
US response
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Sunday that it is “monitoring the situation closely” with the State Department.
“The safety and security of U.S. citizens is our highest priority,” the CDC said.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
“Plague is a known disease and is treatable with common antibiotics, especially when treatment starts early. Cases occur naturally in many parts of the world,” the statement added.
What to know about plague and its transmission
Plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, according to the CDC.
Humans can contract the disease after being bitten by an infected rodent flea, coming into contact with contaminated fluid or tissue from an infected animal or by inhaling infected droplets in the air.
There are three types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. Symptoms often include fever, chills, and weakness.
Pneumonic is the most serious form and the only one that can potentially spread between people. It occurs when bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets, according to the CDC.
Bubonic plague is infamously responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Europe during the 1300s. While the disease still exists, modern medicine and public health efforts have made it less threatening.
Plague can be treated with a course of antibiotics. The earlier antibiotics are received, the higher are the chances of a full recovery.
The U.S. averages about seven cases of plague each year, mostly on the West Coast in states such as Arizona and New Mexico, according to the CDC. It’s been more than a century since the U.S. has seen a documented case of person-to-person spread of plague, per the CDC.
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