The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said the public health risk from plague to the wider UK population currently remains very low, following the death of a lab worker in Russia.
The agency said it was seeking further information on the Russian case but reassured the public about possible spread. Russian authorities say they have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring contacts of an employee from a plague research institute in Siberia who contracted pneumonia from an “unknown” cause.
Russian Case Under Investigation
Russian authorities say they have found no evidence that her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with, but media reports and now-deleted messages on social media platforms have suggested she may have died of pneumonic plague. The woman worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, south-eastern Siberia.
Plague is a disease usually found in small mammals and their fleas. It is no longer found in the UK, but occurs in several countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Transmission and Treatment
The disease is usually transmitted to humans from infected animals or fleas, but people can pass it on from coughing and sneezing. Usually, this requires direct and close contact with the person with pneumonic plague. If plague is untreated, it can cause rapid death, but antibiotics can be effective if the disease is caught in time.
Chris Lewis, director of global health protection at the UKHSA, said: “We are aware of media reports that emergency containment measures have been introduced in Russia’s Irkutsk region following the death of an employee at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute.
“We are seeking information through the International Health Regulations channels to further understand the circumstances and verify the accuracy of these reports. The public health risk from plague to the wider UK population currently remains very low.”
International Response
President Donald Trump has said the US is looking “very strongly” at the case.
