The CDC (hereafter referred to as the CDC) stated on October 6, 2026 that, in response to recent international media reports, the Irkutsk region of Siberia, Russia reported on October 2, 2026 a case of death from pneumonia of unknown cause. The patient was a 28‑year‑old female laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Institute of Epidemic Prevention Research. She developed severe pneumonia and died on October 2. According to the official statement released by the Russian official infectious disease management agency (Rospotrebnadzor) as reported by local Russian media, expanded testing of the infected employee’s specimens did not reveal any special microorganisms related to her duties; the country's biosafety expert committee also confirmed that no pathogen leakage accident occurred in the laboratory. In addition, Russian authorities have conducted extensive testing and hospital isolation observation of all contacts; so far only two cases of COVID‑19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection have been detected, with no other special infectious disease pathogens found, and the contacts show no abnormal symptoms. The incidence of respiratory diseases among the general local population remains within the normal seasonal range of previous years. Relevant information is still pending clarification. A WHO spokesperson said the event poses a low public health risk to the general public.
To monitor the epidemic situation, the CDC on October 5 asked the International Health Regulations (IHR) contact point in Russia for detailed information on this incident to clarify the local epidemic situation and the risk of cross‑border transmission, and also on today (October 6) sent an inquiry to WHO for epidemic information related to this case.
The CDC explained that Taiwan has not had any plague cases since 1953. Regarding the international epidemic, WHO data show that from 2019 to 2025, ten countries worldwide reported 3,860 suspected plague cases, of which 2,646 were confirmed cases, resulting in 423 deaths (suspected case fatality rate 11%). About 98% of confirmed cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar, with China reporting 19 confirmed cases and Mongolia reporting 17 confirmed cases.
The CDC pointed out that plague is a Category 1 statutory infectious disease, which must be reported within 24 hours, and patients should be admitted for isolation and receive appropriate antibiotic treatment as early as possible. The first‑line drugs for treating plague, aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones, are routinely stocked in domestic clinical practice and have stable supply, and can be used for confirmed treatment and post‑exposure prophylaxis.
In response to emerging infectious disease preparedness, Taiwan has built testing capacity and established a medical network for infectious disease prevention and control. According to regulations, each level of isolation hospital must develop an emergency response plan, a patient admission workflow for infectious diseases, and regularly conduct various drills, including donning and doffing personal protective equipment, negative‑pressure isolation ward testing and maintenance, and inter‑hospital transport exercises, to ensure frontline medical staff’s clinical vigilance and reporting for emerging infectious diseases.
In addition, in cooperation with Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, and National Cheng Kung University Hospital, three medical centers have set up a Special Pathogen Technology Care Demonstration Center, forming a dedicated team to enhance the performance of various hardware and software facilities in the care area, introduce smart medical technologies and establish standardized care models, ready to provide professional technical guidance to isolation hospitals at all levels, and capable of delivering comprehensive medical care for patients with highly contagious or unknown‑cause severe acute or emerging infectious diseases.
Regarding this international plague incident, the CDC, besides continuously closely monitoring domestic and international epidemic developments, has also strengthened fever screening and quarantine measures for aircraft and vessels at airports and ports, and uses multiple outreach channels to urge inbound and outbound travelers to pay attention to international epidemics and personal protection.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Data compiled: Infection Control Division
