The World Health Organization says it still lacks enough information to assess risks after an employee of an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk died. Russian authorities told the agency that no plague cases had recently been reported in the region and that about 200 contacts were quarantined.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency requested information from Russia on Saturday after reports of the employee’s death. A response arrived on Tuesday, but WHO officials said it did not include all the details they need.
Initial media reports linked the death of an employee at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute to plague. Russian officials disputed that account, saying she died of pneumonia unrelated to her work in the laboratory.
WHO has asked for details about the death, the tests conducted and contact tracing. Tedros said the agency cannot complete a full risk assessment without a clearer picture. WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said the exact cause of death remains unknown. As far as the agency knows, laboratory tests have not identified a causative agent.
WHO is awaiting further information from Russian authorities and has offered technical support on plague, laboratory biosafety and biosecurity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there was no indication of a broader threat to the United States and that it would continue monitoring the situation.
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and occurs in bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic forms. The CDC says antibiotics can treat the disease and early treatment improves the chances of recovery.