Russia Denies Imposing Anti-Plague Measures After Death of Worker
Nearly 200 contacts were monitored and a hospital was quarantined after the 28-year-old worker died of severe pneumonia, officials said.
- A 28-year-old laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov died between Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 after developing severe pneumonia, triggering a high-level investigation into a suspected plague case.
- Near the Mongolian border, the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute studies "especially dangerous infectious diseases," and officials are investigating whether the worker contracted pneumonic plague, a transmissible form of the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
- Almost 200 people remain under medical observation while hospitals in Irkutsk face quarantine restrictions. Rospotrebnadzor stated that extensive testing found no microorganisms linked to the woman's professional work.
- On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters to "rely on Rospotrebnadzor's official statements rather than... rumours and speculations." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is monitoring the infection reports.
- Biosecurity expert Filippa Lentzos of King's College London expressed concern over "uncertainty and contradictory information" surrounding the incident, calling for clarity on the diagnosis, exposure route, and containment procedures.
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Insider PaperRussia denies imposing anti-plague measures after death of worker
It was reported last week that a worker at an anti-plague institute in Siberia's Irkutsk region died of pneumonic plague. But the authorities say the cause of death is not confirmed and health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has denied claims circulating in a document online that special measures had been put in place. "We wish to clarify that the document and information in question do not originate from official sources and are untrue," it said on Te…
Photo: Julia Koblitz (Unsplash) The plague case in Siberia has attracted worldwide attention: a 28-year-old laboratory worker died after a test tube broke at a Russian plague institute, and nearly 200 people are in quarantine. But …
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