Lithuania and Mongolia tighten border measures over Russian plague reports

Lithuania may restrict transit for Russian citizens if pneumonic plague reports from Russia are confirmed and pose a threat, its health minister said. Mongolia has meanwhile introduced extra medical checks at its border with Russia. The risk of pneumonic plague spreading in Europe is very small, and the Russian reports are not independently confirmed, according to Minister Linas Kukuraitis. Lithuania treats Russian information cautiously, calling it a hostile country at war, and has contingency plans with hospitals holding about a month of antibiotics. Russian media reported Friday that a 28-year-old worker at a plague institute in the Irkutsk region died of pneumonic plague, though Russian authorities say tests after her death did not confirm the disease. Mongolia's health services have contacted the institute, assessing the danger as low but ordering precautionary measures.