No risk of plague being imported from Mongolia to Russia - Russia's consumer health watchdog

MOSCOW. June 27 (Interfax) - There is no risk of plague being imported from Mongolia, where a human case of plague was recorded in the Gobi-Altai province, to Russia, the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) said.

"According to the National Center for Zoonotic Diseases of Mongolia, a human case of plague was registered in the Bugat district, of the Gobi-Altai province of Mongolia. The area where the case of the disease was registered borders China, and is more than 500 kilometers from the Russian border. There is no risk of the disease being imported from this territory," Rospotrebnadzor told reporters.

Mongolian specialists have organized a range of measures to prevent the spread of the infection, Rospotrebnadzor said. Restrictions were imposed in the province, and individuals at risk of being infected were identified and isolated.

"The case of infection is linked to the consumption of infected meat from a marmot living in a natural breeding ground for plague. In this regard, Rospotrebnadzor is ensuring [that] the required set of preventive measures [are being carried out] in the Russian Federation," the service said.

Russian specialists are in constant contact with their Mongolian counterparts.