Russian health authorities have said no cases of plague have been detected among people who came into contact with a laboratory worker who died in Siberia last week.
The 28-year-old woman, who worked at a plague research institute in the Irkutsk region, died on Friday from pneumonia of an undetermined cause, sparking concern and precautionary measures in the area.
Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said extensive testing found no microorganisms in the woman’s body linked to her work.
It also said no infectious diseases had been reported among staff at the research institute over the past 10 days.
The agency said people who had contact with the deceased woman were identified and placed under medical observation, with daily laboratory tests conducted.
The tests detected two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus, but no pathogens linked to other infectious diseases were found.
Elena Sofina, deputy head of the Shelekhov district near Irkutsk, said the suspected “dangerous diagnosis” had not been confirmed. She added that 60 per cent of those quarantined as a precaution had already been released.
Local media had reported that about 200 people were initially placed under quarantine.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov thanked US President Donald Trump for offering assistance over the situation, although he did not say whether Moscow would accept the offer.
“It’s always good when mutual assistance is offered,” Peskov told reporters.
The World Health Organisation also said Russia had informed it that there were no cases of plague in the city of Irkutsk, although it was unclear whether this ruled out plague in the deceased worker’s case.
Residents of Shelekhov said life had largely returned to normal despite the scare. Some people initially wore surgical masks as a precaution, while the local hospital, which had temporarily stopped diagnostic tests, has since resumed normal operations.
