The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated on October 8, 2026, regarding recent international media reports of a death from pneumonia of unknown cause reported on October 2, 2026, at the Irkutsk Plague Control Institute in Siberia, Russia, followed by a second suspected plague death on October 6.
To closely monitor the international epidemic situation, the CDC, through its counterpart in Taiwan's International Health Regulations (IHR), inquired with the World Health Organization (WHO) on October 6 to verify relevant epidemic information.
The CDC indicated that the WHO officially responded on October 7. According to information provided by the WHO, Russian authorities informed the WHO on October 6 that no plague cases had been reported in the Irkutsk region recently.
Regarding the severe pneumonia case involving an employee of the Irkutsk Plague Control Institute, the country has launched an epidemiological investigation and initiated relevant prevention and control measures. All contacts have been identified and tested, and no high-threat pathogens have been detected so far.
The WHO stated that due to incomplete information regarding the case, it is currently insufficient to draw empirical conclusions regarding whether this event poses a potential risk to the public, and caution is needed while conducting dynamic risk assessments.
The WHO Director-General also issued a public statement on October 6th, formally requesting Russian authorities to clarify the exact cause of the first case of severe pneumonia, the pathogen that led to the implementation of large-scale public health measures, and to provide specific explanations regarding media reports of a second case of pneumonia of unknown cause.
The WHO will continue to maintain contact with Russian authorities and actively verify the veracity of media reports.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated that Taiwan has not reported any cases of plague since 1953.
Furthermore, according to WHO statistics, between 2019 and 2025, a total of 3,860 suspected cases of plague have been reported in 10 countries globally, of which 2,646 were confirmed cases, resulting in 423 deaths (a case fatality rate of 11% for suspected cases).
Approximately 98% of confirmed cases globally were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar; neighboring countries such as China reported 19 confirmed cases, and Mongolia reported 17 confirmed cases.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) emphasized that it has been closely monitoring the development of the outbreak, strengthening quarantine measures such as fever screening at borders, and has established relevant testing capacity and an infectious disease prevention and control medical network in Taiwan.
The relevant treatment drugs are also readily available and stably supplied antibiotics in domestic clinical medicine, which can be used for diagnosis, treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis.
The public is urged not to panic excessively.
Source:
Link: https://www.cdc.gov.tw/Bulletin/Detail/ZSgA4XCBC3WbeC0Wb8Em-g?typeid=9
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