Russia: Clear tests for deceased lab worker's contacts | NHK WORLD

Russia: Clear tests for deceased lab worker's contacts

Russian health officials say they have not found dangerous pathogenic microorganisms in tests of contacts of a deceased woman who worked at an anti-plague research institute in eastern Siberia.

They made the announcement on Thursday after Russia quarantined about 200 of the worker's contacts. The woman in her 20s died in the Irkutsk region on Oct. 2.

Officials said they completed an entire set of preventive measures and medical monitoring of all contacts. They added that they had identified no health issues related to infectious diseases.

They also denied media reports of a second worker with pneumonia of an undetermined cause.

Before the announcement, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that "timely, complete and transparent information sharing" by Russia is essential for accurate assessment of potential public health risks.