Several hospitals in the Siberian region of Irkutsk have been quarantined over suspicions of pulmonary plague, according to the independent Russian channel Liudi Baikala (People of Baikal). “At this time the editorial staff cannot confirm that all Irkutsk hospitals are closed. Strict restrictions have been implemented in the hospitalization areas of the quarantine centers. Patients cannot see their relatives and visits are prohibited,” the outlet indicated.
Liudi Baikala indicated that quarantines of up to three weeks were imposed in at least four medical institutions, including a pediatric hospital, amid rumors of possible pulmonary plague infections by local medical personnel. A source from the regional health services told the media that the authorities have not recognized the fact and no official document contains the diagnosis of “lung plague.”
Last Friday, the local governor, Igor Kobzev, held an emergency meeting due to “the suspicion of a case of infection of a resident of the region with a particularly dangerous infection”, without specifying which one.
He indicated that the authorities carry out a whole set of health actions and have prepared a contingency plan. “All the people who came into contact (with the patient) are under medical observation. As of today, none of them have symptoms of contagion and all the tests are negative,” he said.
The death of a young employee after accidentally breaking a pipe
According to the independent portal Meduza, a 28-year-old girl – an employee of the Plague Research Institute of Irkutsk and the Far East – died last week in a hospital in Shelekhov, a satellite city of the regional capital. Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian consumer protection service, which did not mention a possible contagion of plague, asserted that the diagnosis was “pneumonia of unestablished etiology.”
To date, two versions are being studied: that the patient was infected in Thailand, from where she recently returned, or as a result of the accidental breakage of a test tube with pathogens at her workplace. According to Rospotrebnadzor, no emergencies linked to pathogens were reported at the aforementioned institute.
Brussels follows the situation “closely” after the possible outbreak of plague
The European Commission is following the situation “very closely” and is in contact with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control after learning of information about the possible outbreak of pneumonic plague in Siberia. “Public health is a priority for the European Commission, so we never underestimate the risks that arise in this area,” said Health spokesperson Eva Hrncirova, asked during the institution’s daily press conference.
The US Government issued the alert on Sunday about the possible outbreak of pulmonary plague. Regarding possible contacts in this regard between the EU and Russia – whose bilateral relations have been diminished since the invasion of Ukraine -, the community spokesperson indicated that the European Commission has channels to receive information, such as the World Health Organization, and stressed that “it is essential to have timely and transparent reports, as well as access to reliable epidemiological and laboratory data.”
“It is important for cross-border cooperation and to address cross-border implications, as well as to maintain public trust and a good public health situation,” he said.
The plague, he recalled, is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria that can be treated with antibiotics and that, although it has been absent in Europe for more than fifty years, it does occur sporadically in America, Africa and Asia.
In this sense, he highlighted that the European Union now has better health preparation and prevention mechanisms than before the Covid-19 pandemic, such as drug reserves, rules for pharmaceutical companies to prepare for such situations and specific teams within the European Commission itself.
“We are much better prepared for any pandemic than before Covid because we are already preparing to address diseases that may come,” the spokesperson said.
The US monitors the possible outbreak of plague, but sees “no reason for alarm”
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, stated this Monday that Washington is closely monitoring a possible outbreak of pulmonary plague in Russia, although he considered that the situation “is no cause for alarm.” “It could spread quickly. That’s why we are observing and monitoring it closely. I don’t think it is a cause for alarm, but for attention and vigilance, and that is what we are doing,” he told the press before starting a tour of Iceland, Portugal and Greece.
The head of US diplomacy stressed that travel between Russia and the United States “is very limited”, so the risk of spread is low. Rubio explained that the available information comes, for the moment, from the Russian authorities, according to which “it appears that there was an infected laboratory worker” and quarantines have been imposed to prevent the spread of the disease.
Trump assures that he will help Russia for the alleged case of pulmonary plague
US President Donald Trump announced this Monday that his country will help Russia combat the disease after the detection of the alleged case of pulmonary plague. “We are going to help,” Trump said in statements to the press when questioned about the worker’s death.
“We are always going to help anyone who has this type of problem. I hate to see them like this. It is a tough disease. Somehow those microbes have become stronger and stronger. They are like an army,” said the American official.
The leader explained that “we are studying it conscientiously.” “They call it pneumonia. Years ago pneumonia was treated more easily. The microbes and germs are stronger, disproportionately stronger. But we are going to help them,” he indicated.
