Russia says no plague cases detected among contacts of deceased lab worker

Russia Confirms No Plague Cases Among Contacts After Lab Worker’s Death

Investigation and Response to Lab Worker’s Death in Siberia

Background of the Incident

MOSCOW, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among people who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week.

Authorities say the 28-year-old woman died on Friday from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin, in a case that has prompted international concern, including from US President Donald Trump.

Health Watchdog’s Findings

Testing and Results

Rospotrebnadzor, the watchdog, said in a statement that no infectious diseases had been reported among the staff of the same plague research institute in Irkutsk over the past 10 days and that extensive testing had found no microorganisms in the deceased woman's body linked to her work. 

Quarantine Measures

Elena Sofina, deputy head of the Shelekhov district near Irkutsk, where a local hospital was placed under quarantine, said that what she called "a dangerous diagnosis" had not been confirmed. 

She added that 60% of those placed under quarantine as a precaution had already been released. Local media said around 200 people had previously been quarantined. 

International Reaction

US and Kremlin Statements

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed appreciation for an offer of help on Monday from Trump, although without making clear if Moscow planned to accept it.

"It's always good when mutual assistance is offered," Peskov told reporters.

He said the public health watchdog was handling the situation and would provide further information as it became available.

Calls for Transparency

Trump on Monday described the situation as a "big problem for Russia". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday it was incumbent on Moscow to share more information.

World Health Organization Involvement

Request for Information

World Health Organization spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday that Russian authorities had yet to officially respond to a WHO request for information about the death of the lab worker.

Monitoring of Contacts

Current Status of Contacts

 "All of the patient's contacts have been reportedly identified and are being monitored for illness, and none to date have shown symptoms of illness," he said.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, Anastasia Lyrchikova and Andrew Osborn; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Mark TrevelyanEditing by Andrew Osborn )