MFA Currently Sees No Threat To Ukraine From Possible Plague Outbreak In Russia

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said this at a briefing on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We are monitoring the situation, as are our competent authorities and healthcare system. Literally just days ago, I heard one of their briefings myself, so they are monitoring the situation there very closely. As of now, there is no threat to Ukraine," he said.

Tykhyi noted that Ukraine has a visa regime with Russia and there is no passenger traffic between the countries, while other countries are closing their borders with Russia.

"Unfortunately, the Russian regime is repeating all the same patterns that existed under the Soviet regime, especially during its final stage, when the regime was unable to guarantee even minimal safety to its people... Who can even imagine why this is happening in the 21st century?" the diplomat added.

On October 2, a 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, Darya Shipilova, was reported dead in the Irkutsk region. She was suspected of having the pneumonic form of plague. According to one account, she broke a test tube containing the pathogen in the laboratory on September 25. According to another, she had returned from a work trip to Buryatia, where a plague outbreak had been reported near the border with Mongolia.

However, Russian authorities deny that there is plague in the country. In particular, according to Russia's Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), Shipilova died from "pneumonia of unknown etiology" related to her professional activities. No microorganisms were detected in her, and there were no accidents involving pathogens at the institute.

Despite this, Russian authorities introduced quarantine measures at a number of facilities in Irkutsk, including clinical and children's hospitals and a maternity hospital. Starting October 2, employees of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute were isolated inside the facility. That same day, Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova arrived in Irkutsk and took part in a meeting of the regional sanitary and anti-epidemic commission over suspicions of a "particularly dangerous infection." According to official data, all identified contacts were placed under medical observation.

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