Russia’s neighbors step up infection control measures after possible plague outbreak

Four more countries have stepped up quarantine precautions and testing, following a possible plague outbreak in eastern Russia.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in Central Asia have all tightened or introduced extra public health and epidemic control measures in the wake of the death of a 28-year-old lab technician at an anti-plague laboratory in Irkutsk, Siberia, over the weekend.

Uzbekistan, also in Central Asia, has raised the alert of its relevant services over Sunday and Monday.

Elevated health checks, including thermal imaging and monitoring, are taking place at border checkpoints and international airports for passengers arriving from Russia into Kazakhstan, which which a 4,750-mile land border.

In Kyrgyzstan, all regional ports of entry were officially put on high alert, with health screening protocols carried out for individuals, buses and commercial cargo moving from or through Russia.

This was attributed to “information about a registered case of plague” in Russia by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health in a statement on Saturday.

In Tajikistan, health facilities and infectuous teams are making plans to isolate any patients showing acute respiratory symptoms or unexplained fever.

So far, no further cases of possible pneumonic plague have been confirmed by Russia since the death of lab assistant Daria Shipilova — although authorities have been accused of introducing a news blackout on the story.

As of Tuesday, the government-backed REN TV network had already deleted all five of its posts about the possible outbreak, according to independent Russian outlet People of Baikal.

Shipilova was reportedly exposed to the plague after accidentally breaking a test tube containing the Yersinia pestis bacteria at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East on Sept. 25.

She was hospitalized in the nearby town of Shelekhov with severe pneumonia on Sept. 29, and later died on Oct. 1.

In the wake of her death, nearly 200 of Shipilova’s contacts were placed under medical observation, with hospital quarantines instituted across the region by Russian health officials.

The World Health Organization reported that all 187 monitored contacts remain symptom-free.

Russian authorities have refused the help of the Trump administration in investigating the possible outbreak in Siberia, after the President offered to support the country “with the pneumonia situation” as he addressed reporters outside the White House Monday.

“The situation is completely under control,” Elena Sofyina, Deputy Mayor of Sheleknov, said on Tuesday, as reported by Baikal People.

“A dangerous diagnosis has not been confirmed, but we are still following all protocol measures,” she added.

With Post wires.