Canada Closely Following Reports of Plague in Russia, Health Minister Says

This undated photo released in 2019 by the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East, shows the institute workers in a lab. (The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East via AP) Photo was released in 2019

Canada is very closely following reports that a woman who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia has died, Health Minister Marjorie Michel said on Monday.

Russian authorities say the woman contracted pneumonia from an unknown source. They also say there’s no evidence it was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.

Media outlets in Siberia have suggested the woman died of pneumonic plague, a less common but still severe form of plague that infects the lungs.

The World Health Organization says this particular form of plague is always fatal if left untreated, but antibiotics are effective against the bacteria that causes plague if it is treated early.

Pneumonic plague can be spread between humans via respiratory particles or through contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials. It can be fatal within 24 hours of disease onset if it’s not treated.

Russian state TV reports said the woman died last week at a hospital just outside Irkutsk.

Local authorities have placed the hospital in Shelekhov in quarantine and are monitoring people who were in contact with the woman.

Michel said there is no risk to Canada and the federal government is working with the World Health Organization and other countries to stay on top of the situation.

When asked if she had concerns with Russian officials being transparent and forthright about the situation, Michel said the United States is in close contact with officials in Russia “and we are in close contact with the United States.”

“So I feel that in this specific case, we will work together for the benefit of the world,” she said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the United States is watching the situation closely.