Ehsan Mostafavi, head of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, reacted to news regarding the death of an employee at the anti-plague institute in Russia, explaining the status of the plague disease and ways to prevent it. According to him, this employee died two days after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia symptoms, and some media outlets have attributed the cause of this illness to a broken test tube containing the plague agent.
Emphasis on Caution and the Need for Reliable Information
Mostafavi emphasized that Russian officials have not yet officially confirmed cases of plague infection and death, and the diagnosis has been declared as "pneumonia of unknown cause." He continued: “In such circumstances, we must wait for additional information from credible international sources and avoid considering the narratives presented as definitive.”
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The head of the Pasteur Institute of Iran also pointed out that the plague usually responds to antibiotic treatment, and its threat is not comparable to emerging and re-emerging diseases that have no specific treatment. However, if we encounter antibiotic-resistant forms, the situation will be different.
Transmission Cycle of the Plague Disease
Mostafavi explained that the plague disease agent is the bacterium "Yersinia pestis," which remains in a cycle among rodents and infected fleas. Humans typically become infected through the bite of an infected flea or, in the case of the pneumonic form, through close contact with an infected person. He also mentioned contact with and slaughtering of infected domestic animals as another means of disease transmission.
The head of the Pasteur Institute of Iran noted that the plague is not limited to low-income countries, stating: “In the United States, human cases of plague are reported every year, and Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa have the highest number of cases.”
Past Experiences and Preventive Measures
He referred to the plague outbreak in Madagascar in 2017, adding: “This country is one of the endemic centers of the plague, and cases of the bubonic type of the disease are usually reported every year.” In the 2017 outbreak, about 2,400 suspected cases and 209 deaths were reported, which were contained through preventive measures and treatment of patients.
Mostafavi also reported human plague cases in regional countries over the past two decades and emphasized that in some cases, camels or goats have been identified as reservoirs of the disease. He noted that the national reference laboratory for plague is located at the Pasteur Institute of Iran, which has been active in monitoring and diagnosing this disease since 1946.
In conclusion, the head of the Pasteur Institute of Iran emphasized the importance of continuous disease monitoring and the education of health and treatment groups regarding symptoms and prevention and treatment methods, adding: “Maintaining the scientific and diagnostic capacities of the country and accurate information dissemination in response to news and reports related to the disease is essential.”
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