Russia denies plague outbreak after lab worker's death in Siberia

lematin.ch (French) —

Russia denied Tuesday imposing sanitary measures in Siberia after the death of a plague institute lab worker, responding to Donald Trump's aid offer by proposing help fighting epidemics in the US. The 28-year-old technician's death sparked widespread concern. Russian health agency Rospotrebnadzor called online reports of strict restrictions in the Irkutsk region false, insisting the epidemiological situation was stable. Regional governor Igor Kobzev said post-mortem tests showed the woman died of pneumonia of "undetermined" origin, with no work-related microorganisms detected. The World Health Organization assessed the risk as "low" for Russia and "very low" for Europe. Moscow offered Washington specialists, lab equipment, and diagnostic tools, citing US cases of measles and a fatal plague in New Mexico. A plague conference is scheduled in Irkutsk for October 21-22.


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