Russia plague scare: WHO presses Moscow on second ...

Summary

• WHO seeks answers from MoscowWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said his agency is staying in touch with health officials in Russia.
• US response to the Russia plague caseOn Tuesday, the US Embassy in Moscow put out a health alert over the suspected Russia plague case.
• Meanwhile, the WHO said it remains in contact with Russian authorities as it seeks to clarify the Russia plague reports.

AI Generated Summary

The Russia plague scare took a new turn after the WHO pressed Moscow for details on reports that a second lab employee had developed pneumonia.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it had asked Russian authorities to explain those media reports. The agency also wants to know what caused the fatal pneumonia of a laboratory worker last week. In addition, it asked which pathogen triggered the public health measures in the region.

WHO seeks answers from Moscow

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said his agency is staying in touch with health officials in Russia. Clearing up conflicting reports, he said, requires “timely, complete and transparent information sharing” under the International Health Regulations. The WHO has also offered Moscow technical support.

Russia has told the agency that Irkutsk Oblast has recorded no recent case of plague. According to the WHO, testing found no high-threat pathogens among the contacts of the dead worker. It has now completed medical observation of all of them.

For the Irkutsk region, the WHO puts the public health risk at “moderate to low”. It rated the risk as low elsewhere in Russia and very low for Europe. Likewise, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has seen no reported secondary cases and no evidence of ongoing spread between people.