Cause of death in Russian pneumonia case still unknown, World Health Organization says
The World Health Organization said on Saturday it still cannot independently confirm what caused the recent death of a 28-year-old Russian woman who worked at a lab studying plague and other diseases.
TL;DR
- The WHO cannot independently confirm the cause of death of a 28-year-old Russian lab worker who died on October 2nd.
- The woman worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, which studies plague and other diseases.
- Initial unconfirmed reports suggested pneumonic plague due to a possible vial accident, but Russian authorities stated tests did not identify plague or other high-threat pathogens.
- The death has been classified as pneumonia of undetermined etiology by Russian authorities.
- The WHO has not identified evidence of ongoing transmission and has not received a confirmed diagnosis for the deceased worker.
- A laboratory-associated exposure cannot be fully excluded at this stage.
- Russia's public health regulator denied rumors of a second infected person.