The Disease Prevention Agency, under the Ministry of Health, issued this advisory on 8/10, following the death of an employee at the Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk province, Russia. The individual died on 2/10 after being hospitalized for severe pneumonia. Alexei Tsydenov, leader of the Republic of Buryatia, initially stated the technician "may have died from plague," and Russian media subsequently reported it could be pneumonic plague. However, Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev announced on 5/10 that a special expert panel determined Shipilova's cause of death as "pneumonia of unknown etiology." The World Health Organization (WHO) is actively monitoring the situation, and Russian health authorities have informed WHO that Irkutsk province has not recorded any recent plague cases.
The Disease Prevention Agency urges the public to follow official information from the Ministry of Health and other health agencies, avoid panic, and refrain from sharing unverified information.
The agency also advises maintaining environmental hygiene and actively eliminating rodents and fleas. It is crucial to avoid contact, capture, or handle sick or unusually dead rodents without adequate protective measures. Rodents and other gnawing animals carry many viruses, bacteria, and parasites that cause diseases, including plague.
The Ministry of Health requires individuals who have been exposed to suspected sources of infection or visited affected areas, and subsequently develop symptoms such as: sudden high fever, painful swollen lymph nodes, cough, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, to seek immediate medical examination and treatment at a health facility. They should not self-medicate with antibiotics.
A representative from the Disease Prevention Agency stated that upon receiving media reports, the agency contacted the WHO office in Vietnam to verify and exchange information. By 7/10, WHO confirmed it was actively monitoring and communicating with relevant Russian authorities regarding the incident.
Russian authorities conducted an epidemiological investigation and implemented preventive and control measures. They also identified individuals who had contact with the case for health monitoring and testing. To date, no high-risk pathogens have been detected among these contacts, and medical monitoring for these cases has been completed.
WHO continues to coordinate with Russia to verify media information and collect additional data to assess the risk and any potential impact on international public health.
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Personnel in protective gear appear in Shelekhov town, Irkutsk region, Russia. *Photo: east2west news* |
According to BBC, plague is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium *Yersinia pestis*. It has three main forms: bubonic (affecting the lymphatic system), septicemic (affecting the circulatory system), and pneumonic. Among these, pneumonic plague is the most dangerous form, attacking the lungs and causing symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, and coughing blood, with a very high mortality rate.
It is also the only form of the disease capable of direct human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs. An individual can also contract pneumonic plague if other forms of the disease progress and spread to the lungs.
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