"Pneumonia of undetermined cause": WHO makes statement on situation in Russia's Irkutsk
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had requested additional information from Russia regarding a suspected dangerous infectious disease case in the Irkutsk region after reports prompted public health measures and quarantine restrictions, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency became aware that the Russian government had held a meeting on Oct. 2 after suspecting that a resident of Irkutsk Oblast had contracted a dangerous infection.
WHO subsequently requested information from Russia under the International Health Regulations.
According to the WHO, Russian authorities responded on Oct. 6, saying no recent case of plague had been reported in the Irkutsk region and that around 200 contacts had been placed under quarantine.
The UN health agency said it had requested further details on laboratory tests conducted on the deceased individual and the contacts, the reasons behind the public health measures, and the health status of those in quarantine.
WHO also said it was seeking verification of media reports concerning a second employee suffering from pneumonia of undetermined cause.
The organization offered Russia technical assistance related to plague as well as laboratory biosafety and biosecurity measures.
WHO said it was not yet able to conduct a full risk assessment because it did not have a complete picture of the situation, stressing that timely, complete, and transparent information-sharing is essential to clarify conflicting reports and assess potential public health risks.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Russia's Irkutsk region following a reported death.
It was also reported that Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Healthcare is monitoring the epidemiological situation in Russia’s Irkutsk region.
