No cases of infection reported at Kazakhstan-Russia border amid plague concerns

Passengers crossing the Kazakhstan-Russia border are being screened for signs of dangerous infections. No cases of infection or people with suspicious symptoms have been identified so far, Kazakhstan’s Committee of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control said.

Checks are being carried out at border crossing points, covering all modes of transport.

«The situation in Kazakhstan is under constant monitoring, and preventive measures have been taken. Sanitary quarantine control is being carried out at state border crossing points. No people with high temperatures, signs of illness or suspected particularly dangerous infections have been identified across all modes of transport,» the committee told Kursiv.media in response to an inquiry.

The committee preliminarily assessed the risk of the infection being imported into Kazakhstan as low. If necessary, it will adjust measures once new official information becomes available

What happened in Russia

Previously, Kursiv.media reported on the death of a 28-year-old employee at an anti-plague institute in Russia’s Irkutsk region. Initial reports said she had broken a test tube shortly before her death. A total of 197 people who had contact with her are under medical observation.

Concerns about a possible plague outbreak emerged following the incident. Later, Russia’s consumer and public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said it had not identified any cases of plague. Pneumonia was named as the preliminary cause of the employee’s death.