Russia reports worker at Siberian plague institute got pneumonia from unknown cause and died
Russian authorities have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring contacts of an employee at a plague research institute in Siberia who contracted pneumonia of an “unknown” cause. Local state TV said the woman died last week. Russian authorities said they found no evidence that her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with. But the case has raised alarm in Russia after…
Russian authorities have placed a hospital and its laboratory under quarantine following the death of a worker at a plague research institute in Siberia. The woman, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, contracted pneumonia of an "unknown" cause and died last week in a hospital outside of Irkutsk.
Russian officials have found no evidence linking her illness to any of the pathogens she was studying, but the case has sparked concern due to unconfirmed reports suggesting she may have died from pneumonic plague, a highly infectious and deadly form of the disease. The hospital has ceased admitting and discharging patients, and has halted routine tests at its laboratory, though its outpatient clinic continues to operate normally. Anna Popova, head of Russia's public health watchdog, has been monitoring the situation.
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