Rubio on possible outbreak of plague in Russia: ’There is no cause for panic; US is monitoring situation’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has commented on the situation regarding a possible outbreak of pneumonic plague in Russia. He said that Washington is monitoring developments closely, but sees no cause for panic.
According to Censor.NET, Rubio told journalists this on 5 October.
The US position
Rubio noted that the US knows only what the Russian side has disclosed, namely that, by all accounts, a laboratory worker has been infected, and there are fears that the infection may have spread, at least within the country.
"So you’ve seen how they imposed a lockdown, because it’s exactly… of that nature. Travel between the US and Russia is obviously very restricted. But, as with anything else, such information leaks out. It can spread quickly," said the Secretary of State.
"So we are monitoring this closely and keeping the situation under control. Yes. I don’t think this is a cause for panic, but it is a cause for vigilance and the need to keep an eye on how events unfold, and that is exactly what we are doing", added Rubio.
What is known about the situation in Russia
- In the Irkutsk Region of Russia, following the death of Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of the anti-plague institute, a quarantine was imposed at the hospital in the town of Shelekhov, and around 200 people who may have come into contact with her were placed under medical observation.
- According to local media reports, the young woman broke a test tube containing the pathogen responsible for pneumonic plague. The Russian authorities have not officially confirmed the diagnosis of plague, referring to it as ‘pneumonia of unknown aetiology’, whilst repeat tests on those who had been in contact with her have so far failed to detect the pathogen.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, plague is a potentially life-threatening bacterial disease, but it can be cured with prompt treatment with antibiotics.
