The State Department is monitoring reports of a suspected fatal pneumonic plague case in Russia and is urging Moscow to share accurate information quickly as details remain unconfirmed.A State Department official told Fox News that the U.S.is aware of reports of a death in Irkutsk Oblast, a region in southeastern Siberia, and is watching the situation closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies.
The official stressed that many details have not been confirmed and called on Russian authorities to reveal what they know.Former CIA officer Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital that the U.S.intelligence community is likely to be collecting all-source intelligence on the incident.SCIENTISTS CRACK THE CODE ON NEW VACCINE FOR DEADLY PLAGUE BACTERIAFILE - A man has his nose swabbed.
The State Department is monitoring reports of a suspected fatal pneumonic plague case in Russia.(iStock)"I would also expect our embassy in Moscow to be engaging with their diplomatic counterparts at an official level because we might have people in Russia who might be at risk," Hoffman warned."Washington will be speaking to all of our allies and partners in the region and sharing what we know."DEADLY BACTERIA THAT DOOMED NAPOLEON'S ARMY DISCOVERED 213 YEARS AFTER RUSSIAN RETREATPlague bacteria (Yersinia pestis) causes bubonic plague and is carried in the pathogen of rats and there are still many regions of the world where the disease occurs. (iStock)Pneumonic plague can be treated with common antibiotics, especially when treatment begins early, the official said.
Appropriate therapy should begin as soon as plague is suspected, and patients can be treated with intravenous or oral antimicrobials depending on the severity of illness and other factors, according to the CDC.FILE - A State Department official says the U.S.is tracking reports of a suspected fatal pneumonic plague case in Russia while pressing Moscow for timely, accurate information.
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