WHO seeks clarity from Russia about suspected plague death, possible second case
by Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesThe World Health Organization on Wednesday said Russia must explain the death of a laboratory worker from a suspected case of pneumonic plague and whether there is an additional case.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Russia is obligated under the International Health Regulations to clarify conflicting reports about the death of the woman, who worked at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute in Irkutsk Oblast.
Mr. Tedros, speaking Wednesday at a press conference, said WHO is seeking lab tests from the woman who died and her contacts, details about the health status of her contacts and information on what prompted precautionary measures in the region.
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“We don’t yet have the full picture of this event, and we are not able to conduct a full risk assessment,” Mr. Tedros said.
His comments followed a social media statement in which he requested more details about media reports there may be “a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause.”
The statement hinted at a lack of cooperation from Russia, as the White House and global authorities try to pin down what happened in Siberia.
SEE ALSO: Did plague kill a Russian lab worker? What to know about the Irkutsk case
Initial reports said the lab worker contracted suspected plague during a work trip near the Mongolian border, while others speculated about a lab incident.
Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said the woman had been “diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown etiology.”
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“Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks,” Mr. Tedros said.
Scars from the COVID-19 pandemic loom in the background, since the communist government failed to be forthcoming about early cases in 2019 and whether the coronavirus leaked from a lab in Wuhan.
Critics said WHO reacted slowly to the COVID-19 crisis.
President Trump said he planned to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday about the situation and whether the U.S. can help. He said it is the Russian leader’s birthday.
Asked if Moscow might be developing a bioweapon, Mr. Trump said, “We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so.”
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“If you listen to them, it’s under control. People have said that before about other things,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office. “China didn’t say much [about COVID-19], and Russia isn’t saying much either, but they do say they have it very much under control.”
Plague, often spread by rodents and their fleas, is a bacterial disease commonly associated with mass deaths in the Middle Ages.
It is treatable if caught early and takes various forms, such as bubonic infections through the skin and into lymph nodes, septicemic infections in the bloodstream and tissue, and pneumonic forms that enter the lungs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is “aware of and closely monitoring” the Russian situation.
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“At this time, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States, but CDC and our interagency partners are prepared and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the agency said on social media.
Russia, in response to WHO inquiries, said it did not register any case of plague in Irkutsk oblast.
WHO officials said if that is the case, they would like more information about what caused the woman’s death.
“We don’t know exactly how this person died,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist. “We know that she had pneumonia. We know it was a fatal case. We understand that some laboratory tests have been done. They haven’t found the causative agent, that we know, so this is why we need more information.”
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