Why the Russian plague lab case is unlikely to cause the next pandemic

Key points

• Russian health authorities say the cause of a lab worker's fatal pneumonia remains unknown, but deny any risk of further outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking more information from Russia.
• Australian experts say there is no threat of a global health crisis or an outbreak in Australia, but more information is crucial.
• The Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to assess it as further information becomes available.