Plague risk in Pakistan ‘very low’ after suspected Siberia case: minister

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has said the risk of plague spreading in Pakistan remains “very low” following the death of a laboratory worker in Russia’s Irkutsk region.

In a statement, Kamal said Pakistan’s Border Health Services had been alerted at all points of entry as a precautionary measure.

He added that the National Institute of Health (NIH) had the capability to diagnose plague cases.

The director general of health also said the Ministry of Health and the NIH were fully aware of the situation and were monitoring developments.

The precautionary measures follow the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker, Darya Shipilova, at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East on October 2.

Russian authorities initially quarantined around 200 people who had been in contact with Shipilova.

Authorities later said 90% of those quarantined had been released after nearly 5,000 laboratory tests, with no plague cases detected among her contacts.

Russia’s health regulator said on Wednesday that there was no risk of an epidemic and that precautionary measures were being gradually wound down.

There has been no confirmation that Shipilova died of plague. A regional governor had initially said she “may” have contracted the disease.

Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said she died from an unknown type of pneumonia and that no relevant pathogens had been detected among her contacts.

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and mainly circulates among small animals and fleas. It can spread to humans through infected flea bites, inhalation of infected respiratory particles and, less commonly, ingestion of infectious material.