The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has not received the “full picture” from Russia regarding the death last week of a woman who worked at an anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk.
“Timely, complete and transparent sharing of information is essential to clarify conflicting reports and allow an accurate assessment of potential public health risks,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Darya Shipilova died two days after developing cold-like symptoms, while some reports suggest she became infected following a workplace accident.
Plague is best known for the 14th-century pandemic, which killed a large proportion of the world’s population.
Russian authorities deny any link between her death and the institute, saying she died of “pneumonia of unknown origin.” They also maintain that there is no risk of a plague outbreak and describe the region’s “sanitary and epidemiological” situation as stable.
Meanwhile, authorities have placed the laboratory where Shipilova worked under quarantine, with staff remaining at the institute for three days.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s director for epidemic and pandemic management, said the organisation still does not know how Shipilova became infected or which viral disease caused her death. “If pneumonic plague has been ruled out, what exactly did she die from?” she asked.
Source:The Guardian
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