BEIJING, China – China says it is in communication with Russia over a suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia as health authorities monitor the situation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on October 6 that Beijing and Moscow maintain cooperation on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including plague.
“China and Russia maintain close communication and cooperation in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including the plague,” Guo said when asked whether Russia had informed China about the incident.
The comments marked Beijing’s first official response to the suspected case.
Russian Researcher Dies After Severe Pneumonia
The case follows the death last week of a 28-year-old worker at an anti-plague research institute in Russia’s Irkutsk region.
The death reportedly prompted almost 200 people who had contact with the worker to be placed under observation.
Unconfirmed local media reports said the researcher may have been exposed to the bacterium that causes plague after breaking a test tube.
The reports have received limited coverage in Chinese state media.
The Irkutsk institute had concluded an emergency response exercise with China just over a month ago focused on managing infectious disease outbreaks.
Russian and Chinese participants also discussed monitoring and controlling the spread of infectious diseases in their respective border regions.
Mongolia Assesses Risk As Low
Although Irkutsk is located north of Mongolia and does not directly border China, its capital is a major transport hub with frequent air and rail connections to Chinese cities.
Mongolia’s Ministry of Health said on October 7 that it assessed the risk posed by the incident as “low”.
The ministry said it would continue working with relevant agencies to strengthen border controls and monitor public health along its frontier with Russia.
China’s consulate in Irkutsk did not respond to a request for comment.
Plague Usually Treatable With Antibiotics
Plague is caused by bacteria and has historically been responsible for devastating pandemics that killed tens of millions of people.
Human infections are now rare, however, and the disease can generally be treated with antibiotics when detected and treated promptly.
The suspected Russian case has nevertheless drawn international attention because of the potential seriousness of pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs and can spread through respiratory droplets.
Trump Says He Will Speak To Putin
US President Donald Trump said on October 6 that he had a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the suspected case “very soon”.
Trump said the United States was engaged in discussions over the incident and indicated that more information could be released shortly.
“So far, we’re in very deep discussions. We’ll be able to report about it probably tomorrow,” Trump said.
Authorities in Russia have not publicly confirmed that the deceased researcher had plague, and the reports about possible exposure remain unconfirmed.
