Siberia Plague Lab Worker Dies

A 28-year-old Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute employee died after developing severe pneumonia, though Russian authorities have not confirmed plague as the cause. Officials placed nearly 200 possible contacts under medical observation and quarantined the hospital where she was treated, citing her work with dangerous pathogens. Pneumonic plague is a lung infection caused by Yersinia pestis that can spread through respiratory droplets. It is treatable with antibiotics, especially when care starts quickly. Russian health officials said tests found no work-related microorganisms and no other institute employees had infectious illness. Buryatia head Alexey Tsydenov initially said she may have died of plague; Russia’s health watchdog said the illness was pneumonia of unknown origin. Reports of a broken test tube remain unconfirmed. The WHO is working with Russian authorities to verify the circumstances and test results.