EU concerned about the incident in Russia. The European Commission is monitoring a possible plague outbreak in Siberia "very closely"

The European Commission is closely monitoring a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia, Russia, following the death of a technician from the Irkutsk Institute for Combating Plague. The woman died on Friday following a laboratory incident allegedly involving a test tube containing the pathogen Yersinia pestis. The official cause of death was described as “pneumonia of unknown etiology.”

Approximately 200 people who came into contact with the laboratory have been placed under strict medical surveillance. Russian authorities have not yet confirmed the existence of a plague outbreak, but the incident has raised international concerns.

A spokesperson for the European Commission announced that the institution is in contact with researchers from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and is monitoring the situation very closely. For the time being, Brussels does not intend to convene a special meeting or adopt emergency measures.

Pneumonic plague is transmitted through respiratory droplets and can be fatal, but it is treatable with modern antibiotics. The EU maintains that Member States have sufficient stocks and are better prepared following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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