The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it currently cannot provide a complete assessment of the suspicious death of a laboratory worker in Russia. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of this organization, stated: "We still do not have a complete picture of this event and are unable to conduct a full risk assessment."
Kremlin's Reaction to the Reports
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, dismissed these reports as "misinformation" and emphasized that only official statements from Russian authorities should be trusted. Peskov also stated that he has no information about a scheduled call between Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, regarding this situation, despite Trump having announced such a call.
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Trump stated that the death of this technician does not appear to be related to a biological weapon. He told reporters: "We will find out soon, but we don't think that's the case." He added that Russia has claimed this incident is under control.
Request for Information from Russia
The United States has made an official request for more information regarding this matter from Russia. This news comes after a 28-year-old female technician at a plague research institute in the Irkutsk region of Siberia died from the disease, which is believed to have been contracted from a broken test tube.
According to the head of the World Health Organization, Russia needs to clarify reports about a "second employee with pneumonia of unknown cause" at this institute. While the United States, the European Union, and the World Health Organization have all called on Moscow to be transparent about this case, Russian officials insist that the population in this area is safe.
Public Health Situation in Russia
The health organization of the country stated: "There is no epidemic threat to the population" and added that their investigations have not led to "any emergency situation" and emphasized that the plague research institute is complying with regulations. The organization also noted that "over 90 percent of contacts have completed the medical observation period" and "results from nearly 5,000 laboratory tests have not identified any dangerous pathogenic microorganisms."
In response to these reports, Mongolia announced that it has implemented "health monitoring and surveillance measures" at the border between the two countries.
Read more: World Health Organization Investigates Second Case of Pneumonia in Russia · Death of a Laboratory Worker in Siberia Raises Concerns About Plague
