The World Health Organization has requested additional information from Russian authorities regarding the death of a laboratory worker in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, who was potentially infected with pulmonary plague on October 2.
The World Health Organization has not received an official notification regarding the situation through the International Health Regulation, which requires countries to respond within a 24-hour timeframe, according to UN health agency spokesman Christian Lindmeier.
According to the official source, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated contact with Russian authorities on October 3, following the detection of the case by the country's internal surveillance system. The WHO has since maintained regular communication with the Russian authorities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has mobilized technical experts from its regional office in Copenhagen and headquarters in Geneva to monitor the situation, with specialists on high-risk pathogens and threats joining the response effort between October 3 and 5.
The World Health Organization has downgraded the health risk in Europe to "very low" following the reported death, despite initial precautions. However, the organization has elevated the risk level in the Siberian region of Irkutsk to a moderate to low threat.
The US government issued a warning on October 4, prompting a response from the Kremlin the next day. In reaction, the Kremlin urged caution and advised reliance solely on information from Russia's consumer protection agency.
The patient's condition was attributed to an unidentified cause of pneumonia.
Russian authorities have placed several hospitals in Irkutsk, including a pediatric facility, under quarantine due to concerns over a potential outbreak of pulmonary plague, a highly infectious disease that the World Health Organization has yet to officially confirm.
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