The World Health Organization is pressing Russia for more information on the death of a worker in a plague lab, saying that what’s been disclosed so far makes it impossible to determine the risk the case poses.
The international agency charged with coordinating responses to health threats around the world originally asked Russia on Saturday for more information about the lab worker’s death. The response, which came three days later, confirmed media reports that about 200 contacts had been quarantined.
While Russia told the WHO that no cases of plague had been recorded in the region and that the contacts had been cleared, additional questions remain, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management. The lack of clarity led the WHO to back away from its declaration at the start of the week that the risk to the general population was low.
“We are pushing on our side through the international health regulations and through all the channels that we have,” Van Kerkhove said. “Bear with us as we do this.”
The Russian case has sparked worldwide attention, drawing comments from US President Donald Trump and other global leaders. That’s due in part to its echoes of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, with uncertainty and a lack of information around the emergence of a deadly respiratory disease. It also comes at a time of unprecedented distrust for public health officials, which in some cases stems from actions taken during the Covid pandemic.
WHO officials sought to address both issues on Wednesday, repeatedly referring to the pandemic and the lessons learned around it.
“The world does have a heightened attention and sensitivity to risk,” Van Kerkhove said. “Covid is certainly in the back of everyone’s mind.”
The WHO said its initial assessment was based on reports that a 28-year-old laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East had died after developing severe pneumonia, which suggested the cause could be pneumonic plague. While that pathogen and its treatment is well known, a laboratory worker would have been wearing protective gear and would have taken steps immediately to prevent infection had there been an accident, as some media reports suggested, Van Kerkhove said.
Read more: What to Know About Suspected Plague Case in Siberia: Explainer
Now that Russia is ruling out plague, the cause of the lab worker’s death remains unknown. Russian authorities said they believed the cause to be a pneumonia of unknown cause that had been acquired in the community, the WHO said.
“We don’t understand how she was infected,” Van Kerkhove said, adding that many types of pathogens can cause pneumonia and that it’s important that Russia followed up with the 200 contacts. “What they initially suspected was pneumonic plague, and that’s what we had heard about as well. If that is ruled out, they say that is ruled out, what did she actually die from?”
Other pressing questions remain, including details about a potential second case that has been reported by at least two media outlets, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The agency gathered information on the possible infection using methods that don’t rely on government sources, and it is waiting for a response from the Russian government, he said.
WHO is also seeking more information on what kind of tests were done on the first patient, what prompted Russia to take public health measures and details about the lab where she worked. It also has requested information on her contacts, the nature of their quarantine and any follow up actions.
WHO said it is prepared to send its own technical experts to assist if Russia requests them.