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The World Health Organization (WHO) is struggling to assess the risk associated with a suspected lab technician's death from plague in Russia, due to a lack of complete information from the Russian government. The WHO, along with the United States and the European Union, has urged Moscow for more details after the death of a 28-year-old lab worker in Irkutsk, Siberia.

The lab worker passed away after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia, and initial media reports suggested pneumonic plague following an accidental lab exposure.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the lab worker died from severe pneumonia, and the WHO requested more information from Russia in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR). Russia responded on Tuesday, stating that no plague case had been reported in the Irkutsk region and that approximately 200 contacts had been quarantined.

The WHO has asked for further information on lab tests conducted on the fatality, the contacts, and their health status. They are seeking details on the specifics of the results, any further analysis being conducted, and the status of the quarantine period. Tedros emphasized that timely, complete, and transparent information sharing is crucial for accurately assessing potential public health risks.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic management, further questioned how the lab worker was infected, if pneumonic plague was ruled out. She highlighted the need for laboratory methods, such as PCR testing and genetic sequencing, to determine the causative agent of death. While noting that there have been instances of community-acquired pneumonia with unknown origins, Van Kerkhove stated that there are laboratory methods available to identify the causative agent.