The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has shared it is looking into reports that a worker at an Anti-Plague Institute in Russia died from a mysterious infectious illness.
The 28-year-old laboratory technician worked at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and died last week after being diagnosed with pneumonia of an “unknown” origin, according to Russia’s infectious disease agency, Rospotrebnadzor.
Several hospitals are now reportedly under quarantine measures and all of the technician’s recent contacts are being tested as part of “anti-epidemic measures”.
According to news reports, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of the nearby republic Buryatia, said the employee died “possibly from the plague” but added there were “no plague outbreaks” in the area.
The Guardian reported that Rospotrebnadzor said tests found no micro-organisms linked to the technician’s professional work, and noted “the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov are stable.”
The UK’s health authority is seeking more information
Responding to the news, Chris Lewis, Director of Global Health Protection at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), told HuffPost UK: “UKHSA is aware of media reports that emergency containment measures have been introduced in Russia’s Irkutsk region following the death of an employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.
“We are seeking information through the International Health Regulations channels to further understand the circumstances and verify the accuracy of these reports.”
The US Department of Health and Human Services also told CNN it’s closely monitoring the situation in Russia.
What is plague?
Plague is a disease usually found in small mammals and their fleas. While it’s no longer found in the UK, it does occur in several countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
You might remember having learned about plague at school – historically it was responsible for widespread pandemics including the “Black Death” in the 14th century which was responsible for tens of millions of deaths.
The infectious disease is usually transmitted to humans from infected animals or fleas, but transmission can also happen through the spread of respiratory particles from a patient with pneumonic (respiratory) plague, where the bacteria infects the lungs.
If it’s not treated, plague can be rapidly fatal. However we do know that it can be effectively treated with antibiotics – recovery rates are high if detected and treated within 24 hours of symptoms appearing, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Symptoms vary depending on the type of plague. Per the WHO, bubonic plague symptoms can include: a sudden fever, chills, head and body aches, weakness, vomiting, nausea, and/or painful and inflamed lymph nodes. According to the CDC, this typically occurs as the result of a bite from an infected flea.
The pneumonic form of plague – which is considered the most serious, and can be spread from person-to-person by inhaling infected respiratory droplets – can appear as quickly as 24 hours after infection.
It causes fever, headache, weakness, as well as severe respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood.
Symptoms of septicaemic plague can include bleeding under the skin and, in some cases, a bluish discolouration of the skin and gangrene, which can cause the fingers, toes, ears and nose to turn black. It can also lead to multiple organ failure and severe breathing difficulties.
UKHSA’s Chris Lewis stressed that “the public health risk from plague to the wider UK population currently remains very low”.
