WHO reported that there was no evidence of transmission in the pneumonia case in Russia

In the written statement made by WHO, it was reminded that a laboratory worker at Russia's Siberia and Far East Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute died following a suspected case of pneumonia.

According to news about the incident, the person died on October 2 after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia on September 29, and the cause of death was suspected to be pulmonary plague following occupational exposure in the laboratory environment. The following was noted in the statement:

"Upon WHO's verification requests, Russia's National Focal Point (NFP) under the International Health Regulations confirmed the death. NFP informed WHO that no recent cases of plague have been recorded in the Irkutsk region, preventive and control measures have been implemented in accordance with national sanitary legislation, and laboratory tests on contacts did not reveal high-risk pathogens."

In the statement, it was also stated that Russian officials stated that, contrary to the news in the media, there was no biosafety incident in the laboratory and there was no other case of pneumonia related to this case.

In the statement, it was stated that NFP informed WHO that the case and all contacts were tested for various microorganisms, including high-risk pathogens, and that the results for the high-risk pathogens tested were negative.

The statement also stated that all contacts were kept under medical supervision in health institutions or at their homes, and that none of them had symptoms throughout the process.

"Based on the information provided by the NFP, WHO has not identified any evidence of ongoing transmission associated with this event. The lack of a definitive diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker remains a key element of uncertainty." In the statement, it was emphasized that WHO will continue to monitor the situation and evaluate possible public health impacts as new information becomes available.

Pneumonia case in Siberia

Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev announced that an extraordinary meeting was held on October 2, upon information that a resident of the region had "a suspicion of a particularly dangerous infection."

On some social media channels, it was claimed that an employee of the anti-plague institute died due to "pulmonary plague" on the same day.

In the statement made by Rospotrebnadzor, it was reported that special measures were implemented after an employee of the Siberian and Far East Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute was diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown cause."