The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sought further information from the Russian Federation over the death of a laboratory worker in Irkutsk amid reports that the worker may have contracted pneumonic plague following a suspected laboratory exposure.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the worker died after being hospitalised with severe pneumonia, while initial media reports linked the death to pneumonic plague.
According to Tedros, WHO became aware that the Russian government held a meeting on October 2 over concerns that a resident of Irkutsk oblast may have contracted a dangerous infection.
He said WHO requested more information from Russia on Saturday in line with the International Health Regulations, adding that the Russian government responded on October 6 that no recent case of plague had been reported in the oblast.
Russia, however, reportedly placed about 200 contacts of the deceased in quarantine.
Tedros said WHO had requested details of the laboratory tests conducted on the deceased and the contacts, information on what prompted the public health measures, and updates on the health status of those under quarantine.
The organisation has also sought verification of reports of a second employee suffering from pneumonia of undetermined cause.
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“WHO has offered technical support related to plague and lab biosafety and biosecurity,” Tedros said.
He added that the organisation was unable to conduct a full risk assessment because it had yet to receive the complete picture of the incident.
“Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks,” he said.
On the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tedros said confirmed cases had reached 8,665, with 4,178 confirmed deaths.
He said while there were signs that the epidemic was slowing in some areas, transmission continued to increase in others.
According to him, about 2,000 alerts are being reported daily, while approximately five million people have been reached through community engagement activities since the outbreak began.
He added that clinical trials of Ebola therapeutics were progressing, with more than 600 people enrolled, while a vaccine trial was expected to begin later in October.
However, Tedros said significant challenges remained, including the fact that most deaths were still occurring in communities rather than treatment centres and that contact tracing remained below the required level.
He also expressed concern over the emergence of new hotspots, including areas close to the South Sudan border.
Tedros said Kenya had reported a case of Ebola in a Kenyan citizen who contracted the disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was treated at several facilities and subsequently travelled to Nairobi through Kampala, Uganda.
The patient was isolated on arrival in Nairobi, where Ebola was confirmed. He later died on Monday.
Kenyan authorities are monitoring 55 contacts, including passengers and crew members who travelled with the patient from Kampala to Nairobi.
Commending Kenya for its prompt response and timely notification of WHO, Tedros said the organisation advised against blanket travel and trade restrictions, arguing that screening, contact tracing and other public health measures were more effective.
“Transparency should be rewarded, not punished,” he said.
On Gaza, Tedros said the health situation remained critical three years after the attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on Israel and a year after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
He called for an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian supplies, restoration of health services, opening of medical corridors and maintenance of the ceasefire, alongside a lasting political solution.
The WHO chief also announced new guidelines addressing the rising prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents globally.
He said obesity prevalence among children and adolescents had quadrupled over the past 25 years, rising from two per cent to eight per cent, with more than 170 million children and adolescents now living with obesity.
The guidelines recommend structured changes to diet, behaviour and physical activity, while also providing guidance on pharmacological treatment, bariatric surgery and weight-loss devices.
Tedros stressed that obesity management should focus not only on weight loss but also on improving health, functioning and well-being.
He said prevention remained preferable to treatment, urging governments to adopt policies that make healthy diets and physical activity more accessible and affordable.
On maternal health, Tedros said WHO and its partners had launched a global roadmap on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia.
He said such disorders account for about 16 per cent of maternal deaths globally, causing an estimated 42,000 maternal deaths and more than 500,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths.
He identified inadequate access to blood-pressure measurement, testing and essential medicines, weak referral systems, shortages of trained health workers and limited emergency obstetric services as factors delaying life-saving care.
The roadmap, he said, seeks to close the gap between the scale of the problem and the availability of medicines and other interventions for preventing and treating pre-eclampsia.
Tedros also announced plans to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10 with a focus on the lived experiences of people with mental health conditions, particularly those who have received institutional care.
He said many people with mental health conditions remained excluded from decisions on how mental health systems are designed and reformed, while some were kept involuntarily in psychiatric hospitals for prolonged periods.
WHO is expected to launch a practical guide to help countries transition from institutionalised care to person-centred mental healthcare in communities, with greater respect for patients’ rights and choices.
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