The possible outbreak of pneumonic disease in Russia, following the death of a researcher in Siberia, has set off all the alarms for days, when organizations such as the WHO and the European Union have requested transparency and more specific data from Moscow for this case to rule out epidemiological risks. Although Russia has denied the existence of this outbreak and ruled out an epidemic, Vicente Larraga, researcher at the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), has indicated that the greatest "concern" right now is due to the absence of explanations from the authorities of that country. "There is more concern about what they don't say than about what it could be," he says in an interview this Saturday on Canal 24 Horas.
Larraga, head of the Molecular Parasitology Laboratory of the Biological Research Center (CIB) of the CSIC, explained how this disease arose and how serious it can be if it is not detected in the first hours in which symptoms appear. Although it is now current due to what happened in Siberia, the pneumonic plague "is one of the three types of plague that exist, and it is a very old disease, already in the Middle Ages, in the 14th century, it killed 50 million people in Europe."
However, it was not until the 19th century when the bacteria that causes it was discovered, continues Larraga, who emphasizes that it is "a very serious disease": "It has a very rapid onset, with high fever, cough, pain, even blood in the secretions, and if it is not treated within the next 24-48 hours it can cause death."
Larraga points out that the symptoms reflect very "clearly" that it is not a flu process or any other disease. "It's something else, it's a very virulent infection, it's a bacteria that goes very fast, and you get very sick," he summarizes.
Unlike other diseases, such as covid, "it goes very quickly and is much more serious. The percentage of people who become infected and die without treatment is almost 100%, and if it is caught late it also exceeds 50%, it is very serious," this expert emphasizes.
The good news is that there is a treatment to stop the progression of this disease, unlike what happened with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. "We have a treatment with two groups of antibiotics that are very effective," Larraga pointed out.
Regarding this supposed pneumonic outbreak that broke out last week in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, where several hospitals would have been quarantined, the expert indicates that "there is really no serious concern", but clarifies that "the biggest concern is that it is not known, because the Russian authorities have not said anything. The only thing that is known is data from a local newspaper. Apparently there is another infected person and apparently there are 200 people isolated, but they continue without saying anything. There is more concern about what they do not say than about what they say. could be."
Another issue to take into account and that is also worrying, Larraga pointed out, is that the researcher who died in Siberia "was in Thailand, so she could have caught it there or infected other people. The Thai authorities are also on alert."
"It is more the lack of knowledge of reality than the possible seriousness, because from Irkutsk to Madrid it is practically impossible for there to be a transmission because there is very little communication," the CSIC researcher reassured.
Although the incubation of pneumonic plague lasts almost a week, Larraga adds that "the appearance of symptoms is very rapid", hence it is necessary to "act very quickly, the person must be isolated very quickly, the people who treat them have to be protected, they have to wear protective suits, there has to be total isolation."
Regarding the protocols to follow when a researcher is exposed to a pathogen of this type, the expert emphasizes that "you have to be protected, both for the treatment given to the patient and for the analyzes carried out to determine if it is this infection. You have to wear protective suits, you have to do it in a high-security laboratory. Fortunately we have places in Spain where this can be done without a problem, but you have to be very careful."
Although the risk for Europe is very low, Larraga insists that the key to this case is the lack of information that exists. "If we knew exactly what had happened, or what is happening, I would say that the risk is very low in our case, because we also have practically no communication with Russia. So, it is very difficult to have a situation like that of Covid. People have to be calm. Those who do not have to be calm are the health authorities, who have to be worried, just in case," he highlighted.
As Larraga explains, the main objective of research into this and other diseases in laboratories is "to control them and if we can, eliminate them, what happens is that it is not always possible. We have been studying these bacteria since Yersin discovered them, 150 years. They have been on Earth for a billion years or more. They are used to adapting to whatever there is."
