The European Commission has urged Moscow to provide timely and transparent information about the investigation into the death of a 28-year-old employee at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk region. Russian authorities have not confirmed that plague caused her death.
European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova said reliable epidemiological and microbiological findings were needed. She said the Commission was consulting experts at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and following the situation closely.
The laboratory employee died after developing severe pneumonia. Russian health authorities described the cause as pneumonia of unknown origin. They said tests found no pathogens connected with her work. A report that she may have been infected after a test tube containing plague bacteria broke has not been confirmed.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on October 6 that it was monitoring the situation. At that time, it said there were no reports of secondary cases and no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.