Chinese border city Hulunbuir issues risk alert after suspected pneumonic plague death in Russia

Hulunbuir, a city in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, sharing border with Russia's far east region, has released a plague risk prevention notice following reports of a suspected fatal plague-related case in neighboring Russia recently.

The latest risk reminder was issued by the Hulunbuir Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and publicized on Sunday Benteng Media, the official WeChat public account of Inner Mongolia Radio and TV Station.

"Reports of the death of a staff member at Russia's Irkutsk Plague Control and Research Institute from unexplained pneumonia have drawn widespread international attention," reads the safety alert. "The exact cause of the incident has not yet received final official confirmation. Nevertheless, given the nature of the institution involved and the area's unique natural plague background, the event has sparked discussions over potential public health risks."

According to Hulunbuir CDC, the city has not recorded any human plague cases since 1927. Routine and regular plague surveillance conducted by the local CDC in recent years has detected no plague outbreaks among rodent populations. Comprehensive risk assessments confirm that the possibility of a local plague outbreak remains low.

Nevertheless, Hulunbuir is a historical natural plague focus in China. It shares a border with the Russian far east and sees frequent cross-border population mobility, posing latent public health risks, the CDC said.

The local health authority advises travelers arriving from plague-endemic areas in the Russian far east to closely monitor their physical conditions. Anyone experiencing suspected plague symptoms is required to seek immediate medical treatment at nearby medical institutions and truthfully disclose their travel history in plague-affected regions to facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment.

To consolidate epidemic prevention achievements and safeguard public health and safety, the local CDC also rolled out targeted science-based plague prevention guidelines for residents, including conducting routine health monitoring, carrying out environmental disinfection, proactively reporting suspected symptoms, and strictly abiding by epidemic prevention rules in affected areas.

According to multiple media reports, Daria Shupilova, a 28-year-old researcher working at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk, Siberia, accidentally broke a test tube containing Yersinia pestis, the bacterium causing pneumonic plague, at the institute on September 25. Her health subsequently deteriorated, and she was hospitalized in the Shelekhov district hospital on September 29 and passed away in the early morning hours of October 2.

Regional governor Igor Kobzev said on October 8 that all preventive quarantine measures have been completed, according to Xinhua News Agency. Medical monitoring of all contacts has also been completed, while nearly 5,000 laboratory tests found no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms, Kobzev said.

At the regular press conference on October 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun gave a brief response to the suspected pneumonic plague infection in Russia. He said China and Russia maintain close exchanges and cooperation on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including plague.