PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP is looking “very strongly” at the case of a Russian lab technician who died at a plague research centre in Irkutsk, Siberia.

The death has been announced as “pneumonia of undetermined aetiology”. Irkutsk’s governor said, “No microorganisms linked to the woman’s work had been found in her biological samples.”

A state TV station in Irkutsk reported on 5 October that she died the previous week in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town outside Irkutsk.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the woman fell ill either after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen or following a field trip to a region where plague is found in wild rodents.

Russian authorities are reported to have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring contacts of an employee at a plague research institute.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday of this week that it was in contact with Russian health authorities to verify what happened, what testing is underway, and any further international public health implications.

Anna Popova, head of Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, flew to Irkutsk and met governor Igor Kobzev and other officials on Friday. Popova with Putin. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“Based on official information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low,” a WHO spokesperson said, adding that its risk assessment would be updated once more information was available.

What is plague and how dangerous is it?

Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis that is usually found in small mammals and fleas. It is transmitted to animals from fleas. Humans can be infected either by being bitten by an infected flea, contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials, or by inhaling respiratory particles from a patient with pneumonic plague.

Pneumonic plague is the most infectious form and can trigger severe epidemics through person-to-person transmission by inhaling respiratory particles.

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Historically, plague was responsible for widespread pandemics with high mortality. It was known as the “Black Death” during the 14th century, responsible for more than 50 million deaths in Europe. Nowadays, plague is easily treated with antibiotics and the type of standard precautions we became so familiar with during the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent person-to-person........

© TheJournal