Hong Kong steps up Russia arrival checks after Siberian lab worker’s death
Health officials order expanded surveillance at airport after researcher at anti-plague institute in Siberia dies from pneumonia of unknown origin
Hong Kong will step up health surveillance measures for arrivals after a laboratory worker at an anti-plague research institute in Russia died from pneumonia, but authorities have stressed the risk to residents remains low.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) information provided by Russian authorities, there was no evidence of ongoing transmission, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Monday.
Russian authorities previously stated that the worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute in Siberia had died from pneumonia, but that the origin of the infection had yet to be determined.
The centre said it had not received any reports of residents or travellers arriving in Hong Kong from Russia with cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in recent months.
