Thailand reports no confirmed plague outbreak in Russia’s Irkutsk
Tests on contacts detected COVID-19 and rhinovirus but no plague, while checks found no errors in work involving pathogens at an Irkutsk research institute.
- Thailand's Department of Disease Control has confirmed there is no evidence of a plague outbreak in Irkutsk, Russia, based on information from Russian health authorities.
- Concerns were triggered when an employee at an antiplague research institute developed respiratory symptoms, but laboratory tests found no plague bacteria.
- Nearly 5,000 laboratory analyses of samples from contacts also came back negative for plague infection, although some common respiratory viruses were detected.
- An internal inspection at the research institute found no operational errors or emergency incidents involving pathogens.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC), under the Ministry of Public Health, has issued an update following concerns about a possible plague outbreak in Irkutsk, Russia.
Information received by the department indicated that the incident began when an employee of the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute was diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia and had symptoms of an acute respiratory infection.
This prompted strict surveillance and laboratory testing, which found no plague bacteria or other highly dangerous pathogens.
Dr Montien Kanasawad, director-general of the DDC, said on Sunday (October 11, 2026) that monitoring news reports and coordinating with Russia’s International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR-NFP) had provided information on almost 5,000 laboratory analyses of samples from contacts.
The tests found no plague infection or other highly dangerous pathogens.
However, respiratory viruses were detected, with two people testing positive for COVID-19 and two for rhinovirus.
An internal inspection at the research institute also found no emergency incidents or operational errors involving pathogens.
Disease control and biosafety measures were implemented in accordance with established guidelines.
“Based on the information received so far, there is still no evidence confirming a plague outbreak. I ask the public to follow updates from reliable public health agencies. People should not panic over unverified information,” Montien said.
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and can be transmitted to humans through bites from infected fleas or contact with infected animals.
Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets during close contact with a patient.
People returning from risk areas who develop a high fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, a cough or difficulty breathing should seek medical attention promptly and disclose their travel history to receive appropriate treatment.
The disease is treatable with timely diagnosis and prompt antibiotic treatment in its early stages.
