Possible plague outbreak in Russia draws global attention

A possible plague outbreak in Russia is increasingly appearing in global media headlines and attracting the attention of officials in leading countries. U.S. President Donald Trump says he plans to call Vladimir Putin to obtain information. In Brussels, the situation will be discussed at a meeting of the European Union's Health Security Committee, while authorities in Mongolia and China have asked Rospotrebnadzor for additional details about the incident.

Is there reason to worry?

No. It is somewhat strange that Trump has focused on an unconfirmed plague death in Russia, given that the United States diagnoses an average of seven plague cases a year, including the pneumonic form. If confirmed, the Russian case would be the country's first since 2016.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked Russian agencies for data on the situation in the Irkutsk region. It assesses the risk to people in Russia as low and the risk to people in Europe as very low. That assessment is well founded, since plague does not pass from person to person very easily.

Russian authorities have quarantined and are monitoring people who had contact with the researcher from the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute who died. Antibiotics taken at the first signs of illness are highly effective, and Russia also has a vaccine against the infection.

Why is everyone talking about it?

The main source of international concern appears to be not the possible outbreak itself and its consequences, but the absence of clear official comment from Russia. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed in a statement that timely, complete and transparent information sharing is important for accurate risk assessment and for clarifying conflicting reports.

Unnamed U.S. officials complained to The Wall Street Journal that Russian authorities have provided little information. According to The Washington Post, the State Department is preparing a formal diplomatic message requesting more information about the death of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute employee and the quarantine measures that followed.