The agency is reviewing laboratory findings and contact-monitoring measures after an employee of an Irkutsk anti-plague institute was diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin. It says the preliminary public-health risk is low.
The World Health Organization has contacted Russian health authorities after an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East was found to have pneumonia of unknown etiology, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told TASS.
The agency has requested information on laboratory testing, how contacts were traced and their health status. It is also assessing possible implications for the global public-health system.
Based on preliminary, unofficial information, WHO considers the risk to the public low. The circle of contacts has been identified and placed under medical observation. No clinical symptoms have been reported among them so far.
US President Donald Trump earlier said the United States was ready to help Russia in connection with the case. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on official statements from Russian authorities.