- Health agency says patient’s contacts have been identified and are being monitored as Russian authorities report stable epidemiological situation
GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the public health risk as low following the detection of a case of pneumonia of unknown etiology in an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters that, based on the information currently available, there appeared to be a low risk to the general population.
“Based on unofficial information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low,” Lindmeier said.
He added that all known contacts of the patient had reportedly been identified and were being monitored for any signs of illness. No symptoms had been reported among those contacts at the time of the WHO assessment.
Russian Authorities Report Stable Situation
Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said earlier that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk Region remained stable.
The agency said preventive measures and medical monitoring of people who had been in contact with the woman diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown etiology were nearing completion.
Officials Urge Public to Rely on Verified Information
Amid reports and speculation about a possible case of plague or another infectious disease in the region, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on information provided by Rospotrebnadzor rather than unverified reports or speculation.
The WHO assessment, together with the information provided by Russian health authorities, indicates that no broader public health threat has been identified at this stage.
BY: The Times Union
