Medical expert on reported plague lab death in Russia
About 200 people in Russia are under medical observation, several hospitals are under quarantine and dozens are in isolation after an infectious-disease researcher died of pneumonia of unknown cause, according to Ars Technica.
The researcher, Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov. Reports that she may have broken a test tube containing the plague bacterium have not been confirmed.
A regional official initially said Shipilova died of plague, then revised his statement to say she possibly died of the disease. The cause of her death remains unclear in the available reporting.
Plague can cause severe illness, including pneumonic plague, but the bacterium is generally treatable with antibiotics.
Where this came from
CBS News did not allow its article to be shown here. This version was written by Sureno, in its own words, from other reporting:
- Ars Technica — Mass quarantine issued in Russia after unexplained death of plague researcher