Reports of plague in Russia. WHO position

WHO's preliminary risk assessment, based on available information, indicates that the risk for Irkutsk is moderate to low, low for the entire Russian Federation and very low for the European region, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said at a news conference in Geneva.

WHO asked the Russian sanitary authorities for information on the circumstances of the incident, laboratory tests conducted and their results. The organization also declared its readiness to support Russia.

Death of Daria Szypiłowa

On September 25, Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of a research institute in the Irkutsk Oblast in Russia dealing with the treatment of plague, broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen, local media reported, quoted by the American website Axios.

Four days later, the woman, according to Russian media, was admitted to hospital with symptoms of severe pneumonia. She died on the night of October 1-2.

After her death, the authorities introduced a quarantine in several medical facilities in the region and placed under medical observation about 200 people who had contact with Szypiłowa.

According to information provided to the organization by the Russian side, tests of people who had contact with the laboratory technician did not reveal the presence of pathogens causing dangerous infectious diseases.

GIS message

On Monday, the Polish Chief Sanitary Inspector issued a statement on this matter.

"At present, no information has been published in official Russian sources or international public health organizations confirming the occurrence of plague cases in humans in the Russian Federation," the GIS reported.

GIS emphasized that plague is a "highly contagious disease of humans and animals caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria." He pointed out that the disease "caused the largest epidemics in the history of the world, and today it does not pose a major threat, although its danger has not extinguished due to the existence of a reservoir of this germ."

Symptoms of the plague - as we read - develop quickly, on average within a few days of infection with the Y. pestis bacterium. Treatment involves administering antibiotics. To be effective, it must be taken preferably within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.

The last case of plague in Poland at the end of the 18th century

The last case of plague in Russia was recorded in 2016 in the Altai Krai in southern Russia. Outbreaks of the disease persist in Mongolia.

In September, WHO announced that over 3.8 thousand cases were recorded in ten countries in 2019-25. suspected cases of plague and 423 deaths related to this disease.

As we read, cases of plague may occur in American, African or Asian countries, but they have not occurred in Europe for over 50 years. The last cases of disease in Poland were recorded during an epidemic at the end of the 18th century.

The inspectorate noted that regardless, in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it advises against "all travel to the Russian Federation." He added that when traveling to plague-endemic areas, he recommends avoiding contact with wild rodents, using flea repellents, and, above all, following personal hygiene rules, especially washing hands.