A Possible Plague Case in Russia: What It Means for You
Three Facts About the Plague:
- There are three main forms. The most common is bubonic plague, which causes swollen, painful lymph nodes. Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can spread between people through respiratory droplets. Septicemic plague occurs when the bacteria from other forms of plague infect the bloodstream.
- It can be deadly, but it is treatable. Antibiotics can successfully treat plague when treatment begins early. Without treatment, however, the disease can become life-threatening, particularly pneumonic and septicemic plague.
- Plague still occurs today. Cases still happen in parts of Africa, Asia and the Americas, especially in areas where the bacteria circulate among wild rodents and fleas.
Although the possible plague-related death of a lab worker in Russia is raising concerns here in the United States about another epidemic, infectious disease experts emphasized the importance of staying calm and seeking information from reliable sources.
Last week, the Russian public health agency issued a statement saying a 28-year-old lab technician died after being diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” She worked at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a statement on social media saying that the agency was “closely monitoring reports of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region of Russia that resulted in a death,” and noted that “at this time, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States.”
Most of the information remained unclear—including whether the woman had been medically diagnosed with pneumonic plague, the most contagious and dangerous form of the plague variants. It is unknown if her illness was related to her lab work. And there has been no information released about whether or not anyone else has become ill.
The Sunday Paper talked to Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, about what we know and what we don’t know. Dr. Osterholm, who has a doctorate in environmental health, emphasized that while there are incidents of plague every year, and that it can be deadly, if diagnosed early, antibiotics can effectively treat all forms of the disease.
A CONVERSATION WITH DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM
What do we know about the reported plague case in Russia?
This laboratory is a well-established lab that has been in business since the 1930s, and it serves a very large part of the population in Siberia and parts of Russia in terms of routine public health laboratory services, much like CDC might.
What don’t we know?
What we don't know is what she was working on or working with. We don't really understand her exposure—some said she had a broken test tube. We don't know if this was in fact Yersinia pestis—the bacterium that causes plague.
How is plague usually spread?
The kind of plague depends on how it’s transmitted. The bubonic plague has traditionally been primarily a flea-transmitted bacteria. The fleas feed on basically the rodent population in the area that can carry the bacteria, and then when they feed on you, they infect you and it gets into your lymph nodes.
What is the difference between bubonic and pneumonic plague?
Bubonic plague is not necessarily a medical crisis. You'll be able to tell because we think you have a form of thing called buboes, big swollen lymph nodes, and treating with antibiotics is quite successful.
The one that we really worry about is pneumonic plague. This is where the bacteria is in your lungs, and you basically are breathing it out and it’s airborne.
How much misinformation are you hearing about this case?
I think that's the challenge we have right now. I see far too many so-called experts out there talking about this with far less knowledge than they really have. I saw one of the talking heads on TV making statements about bioweapons that this individual had no knowledge of what the hell he was talking about. None.
So could this be some engineered form of plague?
Some people have raised, well, if this is a government-sponsored lab, could they have engineered Yersinia pestis that is highly resistant to our antibiotics? I don't think we have any evidence to support that.
What should the public do right now?
Right now, just keeping a cool demeanor based on facts. Even if this is a case of pneumonic plague, we know how to handle it. We can contain it. The antibiotics will work. You can isolate these people.
Should people be worried about this spreading?
Do I worry about this being a bacterium that could actually take off? No, I don't. We can obviously contain this. We have antibiotics. I'm not concerned about this. Within several days to a week, we'll have much more understanding of what happened here, and business will go on as normal. I'm convinced of that.
Michael Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of “The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics, has served on the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity, the World Economic Forum Working Group on Pandemics, and the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board.
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