Lithuania health minister says risk of pneumonic plague spread very low

VILNIUS, Oct 7, BNS - Health Minister Linas Kukuraitis said the risk of pneumonic plague spreading in Europe is very low, adding that Lithuanian hospitals have enough antibiotic reserves to last about a month.

"Antibiotic reserves exist both at the national level, and hospitals should also have enough for up to a month to meet such a demand," Kukuraitis told reporters on Wednesday.

According to him, the Lithuanian health system is much better prepared to manage infectious disease threats following the COVID-19 pandemic, with functioning infectious disease management infrastructure and established response algorithms.

Kukuraitis stressed that it has not yet been confirmed whether there was actually a case of pneumonic plague in Russia. According to him, Lithuania can only assess the situation based on publicly available information, and the main challenge at present is the lack of reliable data.

According to Kukuraitis, the strong reaction from the US to the situation shows that serious processes may be taking place in Russia, but Lithuania can currently only assess the situation based on publicly available information.

The National Public Health Centre also states that there is currently no increased risk for Lithuanian residents of contracting plague. Institutions are monitoring the situation, but available information is limited and does not allow for independent confirmation that the woman who died in Russia suffered from pneumonic plague.

It was previously reported that 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, who worked at the plague research institute in the Irkutsk region, may have died from pneumonic plague. A possible laboratory incident and the isolation of her contacts were also reported. However, Russian officials stated that post-mortem tests did not detect plague.

Kukuraitis has said that if information about plague in Russia is confirmed and poses a threat to Lithuania, restrictions on the transit of Russian citizens through Lithuania could be considered, but such decisions would be made together with European Union partners.

Pneumonic plague is a rare bacterial infection, but if diagnosed in time, it can be treated with antibiotics, which are available in Lithuania and Europe.