ULAANBAATAR: Mongolia’s government said on Wednesday that it had ordered “health surveillance” measures on its border with Russia after the reported plague death of a laboratory technician in Siberia.

“Although the current risk level is low, the Ministry of Health has instructed relevant agencies to take precautionary measures and maintain continuous surveillance and monitoring to prevent potential risks,” the ministry said.

It added that “border crossings in Selenge Province continue to operate normally, with health surveillance and monitoring measures being implemented at the border.”

Russian news outlet People of Baikal reported last Friday that a 28-year-old woman employed at a plague research institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region north of Mongolia had died.

Russian authorities have played down the reports, saying the woman died of pneumonia and the cause was “undetermined.”

Russia’s health agency said on Wednesday it saw “no epidemic risks for the population.”

The Irkutsk region’s capital sees significant numbers of visitors from China on their way to the nearby Lake Baikal.

“China and Russia maintain close exchanges and cooperation on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including plague,” China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, when asked if there were contacts with Russian authorities about the reported death.