Reported by several Russian media outlets on Friday, the death of a 28-year-old laboratory technician who worked for the Irkutsk Institute for Plague Control in Siberia has sparked serious concerns in Russia and beyond. «"False information is currently circulating online regarding the implementation of a reinforced health and epidemiological regime and strict restrictions in the Irkutsk region."», the Russian public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, said on Telegram.
The breakage of a test tube
Telegram channels and local media reported that several hospitals in Irkutsk had imposed a three-week quarantine. The health agency, however, maintained that the health and epidemiological situation was stable in the region, including in the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov. The laboratory technician died in a hospital in Shelekhov.
According to the media outlet Peoples of Baikal, this woman, Daria Chipilova, may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke. Russian authorities have downplayed suspicions of contamination.
A risk " weak " according to the WHO
The health agency noted on Tuesday that 16,000 cases of viral respiratory infections were being recorded each week in the Irkutsk region and that over the past two weeks, no upward trend in the number of cases had been observed.
The World Health Organization, for its part, estimated on Tuesday that the risk was " weak " for Russia and "very weak" for Europe, after «"the initial risk assessment"» conducted by him. Plague is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. Pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can be fatal if not treated quickly, according to the World Health Organization.
This case has attracted the keen attention of the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Russia Tuesday to be transparent and to "share more information about what happened," stressing that any laboratory-borne infection was all the more worrying in light of the Covid pandemic. «"We're looking into this very closely. We just heard about it."», "The US president Donald Trump had declared the day before, before adding: «"We're going to help them."».
While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov simply stated during his daily briefing on Tuesday that an offer of American aid was «"always very positive"», The Russian health agency, for its part, offered its services to Washington to fight epidemics on its own territory.
«"Russia is ready to provide the American side with specialists, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic and preventative resources."», the health agency said, arguing its «"extensive experience"». Rospotrebnadzor specifically cited recent cases of infectious diseases in the United States, including measles and a fatal case of plague recorded last June in New Mexico.
Announced last June, a conference on plague and other infectious diseases, bringing together experts from several former Soviet republics, is scheduled to take place in Irkutsk on October 21 and 22. This conference, which is usually held every two years, will focus on epidemiological surveillance, international cooperation, and public health protection, according to its website, which has not yet provided a detailed program.
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