Infektionskrankheit: Behörde: Laborantin in Sibirien starb nicht an Pest
Nach dem Tod einer jungen Frau in einem sibirischen Krankenhaus steht der Verdacht auf Lungenpest im Raum. Die zuständige staatliche Stelle dementiert. Doch Vorsichtsmaßnahmen gelten.
A laboratory technician in Siberia did not die of the plague, according to official Russian accounts. The 28-year-old, who worked at a pest control institute, had died from an "unknown origin lung inflammation," the responsible Russian public health body Rospotrebnadzor announced, according to Interfax news agency. No microorganisms associated with her job were found in her samples.
The woman passed away at a district hospital in Shelechov, Siberia, on the previous Friday. Reports of a lab accident were denied by Rospotrebnadzor, who stated that no lab accident had occurred at the Irkutsk institute. Earlier reports suggested the woman might have contracted lung plague after a test tube fell, but this was unconfirmed.
The hygienic-epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, as well as in the cities of Irkutsk and Shelechov, was reported as stable by the agency, which announced an implementation of a "measures package." Two general hospitals and a children's clinic in Irkutsk were placed under quarantine, with institute staff also placed in quarantine, according to local reports.
No further infections were reported. Lung plague, a severe form of plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, can occur when the infection spreads to the lungs. It is treatable with antibiotics if early treatment begins. The plague, as reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), still exists in countries in Africa, America, and Asia, but not in Germany. The risk of an infected individual entering the country is minimal.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
