Health · Public Health & Disease · 7 hrs ago
CDC monitors US arrivals from Siberia amid concerns over possible plague
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coordinating with federal agencies to monitor travelers arriving from Siberia.
The effort follows the death of Darya Shipilova, a worker at a research institute in Irkutsk, Russia, who died after developing pneumonia of unknown cause.
Russian authorities have not confirmed that she had pneumonic plague, and say tests found no evidence that her illness was linked to pathogens she worked with.
CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the risk to people in the United States is extremely low.
The CDC has a health station at New York's JFK airport to screen and monitor travelers from the region if needed.
Pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets, but Schwartz said it can be treated with common antibiotics, especially when detected early.
The CDC plans to continue working with other agencies to monitor arrivals.
The CDC is coordinating with federal agencies to monitor travelers arriving in the United States from Siberia amid concerns about a possible pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia.
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said the threat to the United States is extremely low.
The concern follows the death of Darya Shipilova, a Russian laboratory worker who died after developing pneumonia of unknown cause.
Russian authorities say testing found no evidence linking her illness to pathogens she worked with, but have not publicly identified its cause.
Schwartz said about 200 flights from the region arrive in the United States, typically at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where a CDC port health station can conduct surveillance and screening.
- Who
- The CDC and federal agencies are monitoring arrivals from Siberia. CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz described the response.
- What
- The CDC is preparing surveillance and screening amid concern about possible pneumonic plague in Russia.
- When
- The CDC director discussed the response Wednesday. Shipilova died on Oct. 2.
- Where
- Travelers from Siberia arriving in the United States, with flights typically landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
- Why
- Concerns followed the death of a Russian laboratory worker from pneumonia of unknown cause.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We are very confident that the threat to the United States is extremely low
There are about 200 flights that come into the United States from Siberia, that region
We have a port health station set up in JFK so that we can do appropriate surveillance and screening if anyone from that area comes into the United States
it's a treatable, highly treatable bacterial disease with common antibiotics that most physicians within the United States can utilize
Darya Shipilova, an employee of a Siberian anti-plague research institute, died after developing pneumonia of unknown cause.
CDC Director Erica Schwartz discussed federal monitoring of arrivals from Siberia at a Wall Street Journal health forum.
Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev said preventive measures had been completed and roughly 5,000 laboratory tests had detected no pathogens.
- Deceased worker
- Darya Shipilova, 28
- Death date
- Oct. 2
- Flights from region
- About 200 arrive in the United States
- Typical arrival airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
- Laboratory tests
- Roughly 5,000 detected no pathogens, according to the Irkutsk governor
Sources
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