Ministry: no risk of plague outbreak

The health ministry on Wednesday said that it was closely monitoring the situation regarding the recent plague case that has been reported in Russia, emphasising that there was no reason for concern. Head of the health ministry’s epidemiological surveillance and control of infectious diseases unit, Christos Charalambous, said that the case concerns a research institute in Irkutsk, in eastern Russia which was reportedly caused by pneumonic plague. He said that according to the Russian authorities, the incident was classified as a death from pneumonia of unspecified cause. “But, in general, there is still no confirmation that it concerns plague,” he said. Charalambous emphasised that according to the world health organisation (WHO), the risk to the general population in Cyprus and Europe is low but added that the risk assessment is ongoing.