WHO urgently requested an explanation about the mysterious virus from Russia: The truth revealed

Conducted studies confirmed mycoplasma infection, said the head of the WHO office in Moscow, Batyr Berdyklychev, commenting on the registered cases of cough with blood.

In an interview with TASS, he explained that the organization contacted the Russian Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (Rospotrebnadzor) to clarify the situation and "received an explanation that at that time there were indeed five cases of an unknown disease."

"But an investigation was subsequently carried out, including laboratory confirmation, that these five cases in Moscow and the Moscow region were pneumonia caused by mycoplasma infection. This is not a new virus. And, of course, the number of cases does not represent an increased epidemiological risk," Berdyklychev said.

He added that the WHO is in "fairly close and constant contact" with the Russian health authorities, especially with Rospotrebnadzor, because as he emphasized, there is always the possibility of a new pandemic, according to TASS.

"That is why it is important to strengthen national systems for the early recognition of such viruses and for the exchange of information and the coordination of actions at the international level," said the Head of WHO Country Office in the Russian Federation.