Plague epidemic risk in Russia low after death of lab technician, WHO says
World Health Organization detects no sign of further outbreak since Darya Shipilova died last week
TL;DR
- A lab technician at a Siberian plague research institute died suddenly, with speculation pointing to an accident at work.
- Russian authorities are investigating the death, officially stating it was due to pneumonia of unknown origin.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk of an epidemic as low for Russia and very low for Europe, finding no signs of a wider outbreak.
- Quarantine measures have been imposed at the research institute and several neighboring hospitals.
- The US has requested more information from Russia regarding the incident and offered assistance.
- Russia stated its readiness to assist the US with infectious disease outbreaks, citing concerns about measles and a plague case in New Mexico.