EU asks Russia for data after laboratory worker dies with suspected pneumonic plague

The EU Health Security Committee discussed the incident reported in Irkutsk on Wednesday together with the ECDC and the World Health Organization, while the Commission asked Russia for rapid and transparent epidemiological and microbiological information. The ECDC says the available information is limited, that pneumonic plague is only suspected, and that no secondary cases or evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission have been reported.

The European Union is asking Russia for detailed epidemiological and microbiological information following the reported death of a laboratory worker in Irkutsk who suffered from pneumonia suspected to be pneumonic plague. The EU Health Security Committee was discussing the case on Wednesday, 7 October, together with the member states, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), while the diagnosis and scale of the incident remain unconfirmed.

In brief
A laboratory worker in Irkutsk died after developing pneumonia suspected to be pneumonic plague, according to information monitored by the ECDC.

The ECDC says the available information is limited and does not present the diagnosis as confirmed.

So far, no secondary cases have been reported and there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.

The EU Health Security Committee discussed the incident on 7 October together with the ECDC and WHO, while the Commission asked Russia for rapid, reliable and transparent data.

The Commission has not announced travel or entry restrictions for the EU and has not confirmed that such measures are being prepared.

On 6 October, the ECDC announced that it was closely monitoring the situation following the reported death of a laboratory employee in Irkutsk. The person allegedly developed pneumonia suspected of being the pulmonary form of plague, but the European agency stressed that the available information was limited at that stage.

This distinction is essential for assessing the incident. The ECDC does not say that there is a confirmed diagnosis of pneumonic plague, nor does it describe the situation as an outbreak. The agency says that, based on the information currently available, no secondary cases have been reported and there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission indicating wider spread.

At the Commission briefing on 7 October, spokesperson Eva Hrncirova confirmed that the incident was being discussed that day by the Health Security Committee, the body through which the Commission and member states coordinate their response to serious cross-border health threats. The ECDC and WHO were taking part in the discussions.

The Commission asked the Russian authorities to provide reliable information on the incident rapidly and transparently, particularly epidemiological and microbiological results. These data are needed to identify the pathogen, establish the circumstances in which the infection occurred, and determine whether any additional cases exist or have been ruled out.

At this stage, the available European sources do not make it possible to establish the exact cause of death or how the laboratory worker may have been exposed. There is also insufficient public data to determine whether the incident remained limited to the laboratory environment. The ECDC continues to monitor the situation and is in contact with the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which naturally circulates among certain small mammals and their fleas. The WHO distinguishes several clinical forms of the disease, including bubonic and pneumonic plague. The latter can be transmitted through infected respiratory particles and is serious if not treated promptly.

However, the ECDC notes that transmission of pneumonic plague generally requires close and prolonged contact with an infected person who is already showing symptoms. The agency also says that no case of plague has been recorded in the EU for several decades and that available antibiotics are effective when diagnosis and treatment are provided in time.

These general characteristics of the disease do not establish what happened in Irkutsk. The WHO fact sheet describes the epidemiology and treatment of plague in general and does not independently confirm that the worker in Russia was infected with Yersinia pestis.

During the briefing, the Commission was also asked whether the incident could lead to additional restrictions for Russian citizens entering the EU. The response did not confirm such a measure. The Commission said that the situation was still being assessed and that it could not indicate at this stage whether additional steps would be necessary.

Therefore, European monitoring is currently focused on obtaining sufficient information to assess the risk. The absence of reported secondary cases is a relevant factor, but it does not replace the epidemiological and microbiological investigation requested from Russia and does not allow definitive conclusions before additional data are obtained.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/ue-cere-rusiei-date-dupa-moartea-unui-lucrator-de-laborator-cu-suspiciune-de-ciuma-pneumonica