The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation regarding the incident in Russia that is reportedly related to pneumonic plague, and at this time, based on the information available so far, there does not appear to be any cause for concern,Christos Charalambou, an official with the Ministry’s Epidemiological Surveillance and Infectious Disease Control Unit, told CNA. He also noted that the information available so far is insufficient.
The death, he explained, involves a female employee at a research institute in Irkutsk, in eastern Russia, on October 2, noting that the Russian authorities’ reporting to the World Health Organization (WHO) through the International Health Regulations (IHR), in which Russia participates, was that the case was classified as a death from pneumonia of unknown cause. They noted, however, that following the incident, they took precautionary measures, placed several of the patient’s contacts under observation, and conducted tests for various high-risk pathogens, they added. “But, generally speaking, there is still no confirmation that this involves the plague.”
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Mr. Charalambous said that, according to the WHO, the risk to the general population is low based on the information available so far. The risk assessment is ongoing, and as we gather more information, it may be revised, he added.
The Ministry of Health is receiving updates through the WHO and the ECDC, he noted, stating that based on the data available so far, there is no increased risk to the population in Europe and Cyprus. “We are monitoring the situation closely, and when necessary, the appropriate measures will be taken,” he added.
Mr. Charalambous noted that no cases of plague have been reported in the EU for decades. The disease is serious, he said, but it can be treated with available antibiotics, especially when diagnosed early. Plague, he continued, is a notifiable disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (plague bacillus). Pneumonic plague, she explained, can be transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets but mainly after close and prolonged contact with a symptomatic individual. Transmission is not that easy, he noted.
