Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – The Russian city of Irkutsk is lifting preventive measures adopted following the death of a laboratory worker from pneumonia of unknown origin. The epidemiological situation in the region, it was explained, remains stable and poses no health risks. And all preventive quarantine measures have been concluded, regional governor Igor Kobzev stated Thursday.
The measures were initiated after the death of an employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East from what was described as pneumonia of unknown origin. The 28-year-old laboratory worker, who died in the town of Shelekhov on October 2, was vaccinated and immune to the dangerous infections she worked with, Kobzev maintained.
In a statement, Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) said that as of Wednesday, more than 90 percent of people who had come into contact with the deceased patient had completed medical observation, with no health abnormalities attributable to infectious diseases detected.
Nearly 5.000 laboratory tests revealed no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms, the statement said.
Two commissions tasked with verifying compliance with biosafety requirements also concluded that no incident occurred at the facility. Rospotrebnadzor states that it notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the case in accordance with the International Health Regulations. After the disease was reported, comprehensive preventive measures were promptly implemented in accordance with applicable health regulations.
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