Everything we know about the suspected plague case in Russia so far
Fears of a pneumonic plague outbreak follow an Irkutsk lab employee's death last week. But the World Health Organization (WHO) says the risk is low.
On October 2, a worker at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia died from pneumonia, raising concerns about the spread of the plague. The World Health Organization has stated that the risk of exposure to the plague in the broader European region is very low. However, conflicting reports about the cause of death and how the employee contracted the illness have left many questions unanswered.
The employee, Daria Shipilova, was reportedly hospitalized with pneumonia days before her death. Russian authorities have identified and monitored 197 people who had contact with Shipilova, but testing showed no signs of other infectious agents. The scenario does not fit well with reports of a broken test tube and a breach in safety measures, according to experts.
The pneumonic plague is a bacterial infection that can progress quickly and be fatal if untreated. Early identification and treatment with antibiotics are crucial in preventing fatalities. At this time, there is no evidence of any risk to people in the US.
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