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he death of a pathogen researcher in Siberia has raised concerns about a possible outbreak of pneumonic plague, as Russian authorities continue to be tight-lipped about the case.
The CDC is reportedly monitoring the situation, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pressing Russia to disclose more information.
How did we get here?
Last week, a worker died after developing severe pneumonia after a possible laboratory exposure at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute.
The research center reportedly stores samples of the plague-causing bacteria for study and precautionary measures.
Despite that, Russian officials said there’s no evidence the 28-year-old technician died from pneumonic plague.
Russian authorities later placed nearly 200 people under medical observation and began quarantine measures at a local hospital.
It’s a serious disease: Pneumonic plague is a rare lung infection that spreads through respiratory droplets and is almost 100% fatal if not treated immediately. It is the most lethal form of the plague, and the disease behind the Black Death (see more).
The US is on high alert
The CDC says it has put measures in place to identify the roughly 200 travelers who arrive in the US from the affected region per year, though countermeasures are harder to put in place with low transparency from Russia.
According to the World Health Organization, Russia has failed to provide:
The laboratory tests performed on the worker who died.
What prompted the quarantine measures.
The health status of all her contacts.
How big is the risk that it spreads? CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the agency considers the threat to the US “extremely low” for now, a claim the WHO agreed with earlier this week.
