The Trump administration is keeping a close eye on a suspected case of plague in Russia, the State Department told NewsNation, a partner network of The Hill.
The suspected case involves a fatal instance of what may be pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, and has prompted U.S. officials to coordinate with federal health authorities as the situation develops.
“We are aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)] and our other interagency partners,” the State Department said in a statement to NewsNation.
The department cautioned that much about the case remains unclear and called on Russian officials to be forthcoming.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” the official said.
The State Department also sought to put the disease in context, noting that plague is not a new or unknown threat.
“Plague is a known disease and is treatable with common antibiotics, especially when treatment starts early. Cases occur naturally in many parts of the world,” the official continued.
The suspected case centers on the death of a 28-year-old lab worker in Siberia.
NBC News reported Monday that around 200 people in Siberia were under medical observation following the death of the worker, who may have been exposed to pneumonic plague, according to local media reports.
The 28-year-old worked at an institute in Irkutsk that is dedicated to combating the plague, NBC News reported.
On Sunday, Russia’s consumer welfare service said the worker died of “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” according to NBC News.
However, Russian authorities have not given a specific cause of death.
That lack of a confirmed cause has left key questions unanswered, including whether the worker’s death was in fact the result of pneumonic plague.
The State Department’s statement made clear that U.S. officials are still waiting on confirmed details, while pressing Moscow for transparency as the situation unfolds.
According to the CDC, pneumonic plague “is a rare and often fatal disease that can be transmitted by respiratory droplets from animals or persons infected with Yersinia pestis bacteria.”
The fact that the disease can spread through respiratory droplets, from both animals and infected people, helps explain why a case involving a possible exposure would draw close attention from health officials.
For now, the U.S. government’s response is focused on monitoring. The State Department said it is working with the CDC and other interagency partners to track the situation in Irkutsk Oblast.
At the same time, officials emphasized that plague can be treated with common antibiotics, particularly when treatment begins early, and that cases of the disease occur naturally in many parts of the world.
The roughly 200 people under medical observation in Siberia remain a focus as the situation develops, and Russian authorities have yet to say what specifically caused the lab worker’s death.
