There is no reason for panic or false alarm, stated Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze following a government meeting, while addressing reports regarding the detection of a plague case in Russia.

As he noted, "The location where the cases were detected is very far from Georgia, and considering all factors regarding the intensity of travel and movement, there is certainly no indication that any specific measures need to be taken."

“Naturally, our Center for Disease Control and the Ministry are actively monitoring developments and the information being gathered in this regard. A primary source of this information is a global collaborative platform such as the World Health Organization. Based on this information, I can state that there is no cause for panic or false alarm. There is absolutely no indication of a need to implement measures, nor are there any recommendations to do so. That is the current situation. The data being collected relates to locations very far from Georgia; considering all factors regarding the intensity of travel and movement, there is certainly no indication that any specific measures need to be taken. Naturally, should the need arise, we are immediately prepared to take any action necessary to protect the population of Georgia from such risks," stated Mikheil Sarjveladze.

Media reports have circulated stating that on October 2, Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died of pneumonic plague at the district hospital in the Russian city of Shelekhov. One theory regarding her infection suggests that a test tube containing the plague pathogen accidentally broke in her hands. Rospotrebnadzor (the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) has denied these reports, stating that Shipilova died of "pneumonia of undetermined etiology" and that no microorganisms linked to her professional activities were detected in her system. The agency also noted that no accident involving work with pathogens had occurred at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.