Burnet Institute Chief Health Officer Associate Professor Suman Majumdar said Australians there’s currently no evidence of a plague outbreak or a threat to Australia following the unexplained death of a laboratory worker in Russia.
“At this stage, we have a serious and unusual death with unanswered questions, but we do not have evidence of a plague outbreak or a risk to Australia,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
A suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia has attracted international scrutiny after a 28-year-old worker at Russia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute died from severe pneumonia.
Russian authorities have told the World Health Organization (WHO) that no plague cases have recently been recorded in the region and that medical observation of identified contacts has now been completed, with testing detecting no high-threat pathogens. Russian officials have also said no laboratory accident was identified.
The WHO says it still does not have enough information to complete a full assessment of the potential public health risk and is seeking further details.
“A lack of information is not evidence that a larger outbreak is occurring. But it does make it more difficult for the international community to confidently assess and rule out that risk,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
Associate Professor Majumdar said timely and transparent information sharing between countries was fundamental to preventing local outbreaks from becoming larger international health threats.
This helps public health authorities understand what pathogen may be involved, whether transmission has occurred and what response is required.
“That’s why timely, transparent information sharing is such a fundamental part of outbreak preparedness, and this has been a key part of the global governance reforms that have progressed since COVID,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
Despite comparisons with the early stages of COVID-19, Associate Professor Majumdar said the two diseases were very different.
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Pneumonic plague – the form affecting the lungs – can spread between people through respiratory particles and can be extremely serious if it is not treated quickly.
“Based on what we know today, there is no evidence that this is developing into another pandemic,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
“Pneumonic plague is serious and even one suspected case requires an urgent public health response. But we know a great deal about how plague behaves, how it spreads and how to treat it.
“Antibiotics are effective, particularly when treatment begins early, and people who have been exposed can also be given antibiotics before they develop symptoms.”
Person-to-person transmission of pneumonic plague generally requires close exposure to someone who is sick, particularly when they are coughing.
Pneumonic plague also has a short incubation period – generally one to three days – and people tend to become seriously unwell quickly, helping health authorities identify cases and trace contacts.
Australia has established surveillance and public health systems for responding to serious infectious diseases.
Associate Professor Majumdar said if pneumonic plague was suspected, health authorities would be expected to act quickly, potentially before final laboratory confirmation.
The response could include isolating and testing the patient, rapidly starting antibiotics, identifying and monitoring close contacts and providing preventive antibiotics to people with significant exposure.
If laboratory exposure was suspected, biosafety and biosecurity investigations would also be undertaken.
“Speed is critical because pneumonic plague can progress very rapidly, but we have effective tools to respond,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
“If the international situation changed, Australia could also increase surveillance, alert clinicians and laboratories, strengthen testing and provide specific advice for travellers or people returning from affected areas.”
He said the Australian Centre for Disease Control also had an important role in providing independent, evidence-informed information about emerging health threats.
While the Siberian incident does not currently constitute a pandemic threat, Associate Professor Majumdar said it highlighted the broader forces shaping infectious disease and pandemic preparedness.
“What is concerning is that we are seeing increasing risks of infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics in a world where several risks are intersecting – fragmentation of global cooperation and governance, climate change and environmental degradation, geopolitical instability and increasing lack of trust in science and public health,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
He added that pandemic preparedness extends beyond surveillance, diagnostics and treatments. It also relies on the institutions and public confidence needed to support an effective response.
Clear, transparent communication is also critical to limiting the spread of misinformation during an outbreak.
“Currently, there is no indication that this event represents a broader threat to Australia,” Associate Professor Majumdar said.
“What is important now is continued monitoring, transparent information sharing and ensuring international authorities have the reliable information they need to properly assess the risk.”
