HOMETOWN HEALTH: What is pneumonic plague? UVA health expert discusses concerns after Siberia lab death

(WDBJ) - A 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia died earlier this month from suspected pneumonic plague following a potential lab exposure, according to limited information disclosed by Russia.

The death has raised questions about what happened and how, and whether the disease poses a risk to the United States.

“We have a long history of events happening with Russia that don’t get disclosed to the global population that could have global impact. And so I think that’s, that’s why people are concerned and why people in the public health space are concerned,” said Kyle Enfield, executive vice chair of the department of medicine at UVA Health.

What is pneumonic plague?

Enfield said pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, the same bacteria that causes bubonic plague. He said the U.S. sees about seven cases of the bacteria a year, in states including New Mexico and Arizona.

“Most of the cases that we see here are either individuals who were in the southwestern United States, where there is still cases of plague from time to time, usually bubonic in this case, or people returning from areas where there is more cases of it, like Madagascar,” Enfield said.

Enfield said the disease is not something given much attention in the U.S., but it remains a consideration for health experts, “particularly on people, on travelers who present with pneumonia and what we call hemoptysis or coughing up blood, if they have been traveling to a region where we know plague exists.”

Other symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath, according to Enfield.

Treatment not guaranteed

Enfield said treatment exists for the disease but is not always effective.

“I wouldn’t say that we should think about this as something that is harder to treat based on this one death, where we have a lot of, you know, lack of information. Pneumonic plague still has a high case fatality rate, so a lot of people die. It needs to be treated very quickly with the right antibiotics. And so, but even in treatment, you know, death can occur,” Enfield said.

Enfield said residents in Virginia do not need to worry about pneumonic plague and should instead focus on protection from measles, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses typically seen in the region.