The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that he has asked Russia about the second possible case of plague, registered in Russia. The official claims that the information was gathered by specialists from media reports.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated at a conference organized by WHO that he received information from Russian authorities that the first patient, who journalists reported had died from the plague, actually died from severe pneumonia, and about 200 people who had been in contact with him are being monitored.
“Yesterday, the Russian Federation responded to us and said there are no recent cases of plague reported in the Irkutsk region. They have quarantined 200 contact people. WHO has asked for information about the deceased’s laboratory tests and those of the contact persons, more details about the public measures applied(…) We are also checking the media reports about the second employee, with pneumonia of unknown origin”, said the head of WHO.
Some British publications have written, referring to Russian journalists, that there is also a second death due to the plague, in the Irkutsk region. The information is not yet officially confirmed.
So far it is known that a female scientist who worked in a laboratory where plague specimens were kept has passed away, and according to press reports, she contracted the disease.
Russian authorities have placed several hospitals in the region, but have not officially confirmed the diagnosis or possible pandemic, only mentioning that it is a dangerous infection, and the person has passed away due to pneumonia of unknown origin.
In the meantime, the US embassy in Moscow has recommended its citizens to leave Russia, not to travel to this country, and to avoid areas at risk of disease spread.