OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS (+++ +++ +)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS The Hill: State Department Reups Do-Not-Travel Warning In Russia Amid Suspected Pneumonic Plague In Siberia The U.S. is refreshing its call for Americans not to travel to Russia in the wake of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia. In a post on the social platform X on Tuesday, the State Department said, “The U.S. Embassy is aware of press reports from the Irkutsk region of suspected pneumonic plague resulting in the death of an individual and of associated quarantine measures in, and closures of, hospitals in Irkutsk.” (Suter, 10/6) https://thehill.com/policy/international/6132707-us-russia-plague-travel-advisory/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8-_mcqh6Zs7oLrjFkUTBqsZnmUk0xNUSC6mIbj4Pr7crtxzspAESN4zwAxYJgwYv4nkU-Zn-d-DnniyLuyFRqWYnDUjw&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email NBC News: Russia Says No Plague Found In Contacts Of Siberian Lab Worker Who Died Plague had not been detected among close contacts of a worker in an anti-plague laboratory in Siberia who died last week, with 60% of the identified group tested so far, officials in Russia said Tuesday. News from Russia’s consumer and health watchdog Sunday that a female staffer at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East had died from a “pneumonia of undetermined” origin last week has raised public health fears worldwide. (Talmazan, 10/6) https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia/russia-says-no-plague-found-contacts-siberian-lab-worker-died-rcna601805?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cErKze4PLumNtAd_xzFe9fHsS_4E33jZprF8U6nW5h0IGDx4H5oGWdgQ5CGpa7AJCSesxaj8JmdaLclxl7BZETvmbPA&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email The Hill: World Health Organization: No Sign Of Pneumonic Plague At Siberia Institute The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday there were no further signs of infections at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia, following one researcher at the facility reportedly dying from the pneumonic plague. “No case of this dangerous disease has been recorded in the city of Irkutsk, ​Russian Federation,” Russian authorities said in an official ​response to a WHO request, according to Reuters. (Bhakta, 10/6) https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/6131264-pneumonic-plague-russia-world-health-organization/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--FximINikELn1n-CFZwbJLRqbtvvYTZxltdAbUmixlVBiprWp01ddWkfN2UiNLtS3fYhmr36dNxUnIWXbOUKM1cfjfOw&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email Bloomberg: China Says In Contact With Russia On Suspected Plague Case Beijing made its first official comments on the suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia, saying it’s cooperating with Russia as health concerns intensify around the world. “China and Russia maintain close communication and cooperation in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including the plague,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Tuesday in response to a question about whether Moscow has informed Beijing of the incident. (10/7) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-07/china-breaks-silence-on-plague-says-it-s-in-contact-with-russia?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_-c5LJ6UiIcP_zqPkarXgWLGFvNsMGopZ8vJrh0_Ilr4HSwJjVY2Ic0Lu4OMTesxjdCo9c0U2o6qe6BatGDIxA3HgzpQ&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email NBC News: Trump Says Call Scheduled With Putin On Possible Pneumonic Plague Case In Russia President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the pneumonic plague, after the death of a female staffer at a Russian anti-plague lab that’s sparked public health fears worldwide. Asked whether he had spoken with Putin about the matter, Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn that he had a “call scheduled” and that it would take place “very soon.” (Coronell Uribe, 10/6) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/says-call-scheduled-putin-possible-pneumonic-plague-case-russia-rcna601978?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9b9gAJOGy2fJAHenWV_hNXqSWNem2_odbqP6-6uLuE7RqTa8HrrSvy-IAn7ZsJPwiI9aBifiIfN-yiJpSpiWNGro5M_Q&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email AP: Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case In Man Who Traveled From Congo And Died A Kenyan citizen who had been living in Congo before returning to Nairobi over the weekend became Kenya’s first confirmed case of Ebola and the country’s first death from the disease in the fast-moving outbreak, authorities said Tuesday, sparking urgent contact-tracing efforts to try to contain the spread of the virus. The man had been residing in Congo for the past seven years and fell ill about a month ago. He was treated at various hospitals before traveling by road to Kampala, Uganda, where he boarded a flight to the Kenyan capital, arriving on Saturday afternoon, Health Minister Aden Duale said. (Musambi, 10/7) https://apnews.com/article/kenya-congo-ebola-death-nairobi-32ccde1e74048396ad5cb9f9fe47495e?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bW_0Q297Lqy7sraozUFwFx4VVlgL-wCy_4Uzm9BiPZUCygiOMfGbPSaGmRhzwq1frclIYRTpEeb6tbxCvbStwMM088w&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email NPR: Flu Season Started Early, So Consider A Flu Shot Sooner Than Later Fall has only just begun, but it's already time to start thinking about the quintessential winter bug: the flu. The annual flu season usually starts in October or November. But this year, it looks like the flu started to pick up in early September. (Stein, 10/7) https://www.npr.org/2026/10/07/nx-s1-5992940/early-flu-season-vaccine?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_zcL3XUVTl3JI26J3aPCXfY8e0QGxziFOC2jTBtrSTk3tdF5QgGPMQwLdcPM78TSdcQiU6n8TzE0kOhXBj25HnxE_I6w&_hsmi=442944594&utm_content=442944594&utm_source=hs_email