Russia’s Plague Scare: What It Means for Travel to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan

On October 2, a 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia died of severe pneumonia. Russian media linked her death to plague, but as of October 6, Russia's health authority, Rospotrebnadzor, lists the cause as pneumonia of undetermined origin and has not confirmed plague. None of the roughly 197 people she was in contact with have tested positive, and the World Health Organization rates the risk as low for Russia as a whole.

Irkutsk lies about 2,500 kilometers from Bishkek. Even so, Kyrgyzstan moved its border health posts to an enhanced regime on October 4, and Kazakhstan followed on October 5, saying the risk of the infection reaching the country remains low. Neither country has reported a case, and reports that Central Asian countries closed their borders with Russia are false. Borders, flights, national parks and trekking routes are all operating as normal, though travelers crossing by land may be asked health questions or have their temperature checked.

Plague itself is nothing new in the region. It survives naturally in wild rodents, especially marmots, in remote mountain and steppe areas of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, much as it does in parts of the American West. Human cases are rare and almost always linked to hunting, handling or eating marmots. Kyrgyzstan's last case was in 2013, and Kazakhstan has had none since 2003.

The risk to travelers is very low, and a few simple habits keep it that way: don't touch or eat marmots or other rodents, keep away from burrows and dead animals, use insect repellent, and see a doctor promptly if you develop a fever after your trip. Plague is treatable with common antibiotics when caught early.

EcoVoyager's trips to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are running as planned, and we are following official updates closely.