White House, EU on alert over suspected plague pathogen leak at Russian lab

The United States and Europe are closely watching developments after a suspected pathogen leak at a plague research institute in Siberia killed one researcher and prompted the quarantine of those who had been in contact with her.

The White House is monitoring the incident and the related quarantine measures, Axios reported Sunday (local time), citing a Donald Trump administration official. The official said the administration is "aware of the situation and is monitoring the outbreak and reviewing response options."

According to the Axios report, a 28-year-old woman broke a test tube containing plague pathogens on Sept. 25 at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, located in the city of Shelekhov near Irkutsk Oblast in Siberia. She was hospitalized with severe pneumonia on Sept. 29 and died overnight between Thursday and Friday.

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's federal consumer health watchdog, announced Sunday that the researcher had died after being diagnosed with "pneumonia of unspecified etiology." Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the exact type of pathogen released.

The European Commission said it is also aware of the reports and is closely monitoring the situation.

A Commission spokesperson said Monday that the EU is "in close contact with experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as public health is always our top priority," adding that Europe is far better prepared for any infectious disease outbreak as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spokesperson also said that countries have antibiotic stockpiles in reserve.

Meanwhile, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of the Republic of Buryatia, which borders Irkutsk Oblast, said plague was a possible cause of the researcher's death, while adding that there had been no mass outbreak of plague in the Buryatia region.

About 200 people have been designated for quarantine observation at the Shelekhov hospital where the deceased researcher was transferred, according to local independent outlet Lyudi Baikala and other media. A maternity hospital in the city has also been placed under quarantine.

Gennady Onishchenko, a former head of Rospotrebnadzor, told the TASS news agency that the disease was likely not plague, and that even if it were confirmed as such, cold temperatures would prevent it from spreading on a large scale.

Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Unlike other forms of plague, which are transmitted through flea bites or contact with animals, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets. It has a high fatality rate but can be treated effectively with antibiotics, Euronews reported.