Nearly 200 people were placed under medical observation after a laboratory worker died from plague.
Authorities isolated 197 contacts, including more than 100 in hospital wards, after her reported death.
Irkutsk authorities quarantined a hospital, cancelled events and opened a probe into safety violations reportedly.
Plague Scare In Russia: Nearly 200 Isolated In Siberia After Laboratory Worker Dies
A female laboratory worker died from plague in Russia’s Irkutsk region, prompting medical observation for nearly 200 people who may have had contact with her
Summary
Nearly 200 people have been placed under medical observation in Russia’s Siberian Irkutsk region after a laboratory worker died from plague, according to media reports and a statement by a regional leader.
The Moscow Times reported that health authorities in the region had placed nearly 200 people under medical observation following the woman’s death.
Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighbouring republic of Buryatia, confirmed that the woman had died from an unspecified form of plague. Irkutsk officials had earlier described her illness only as a “particularly dangerous infection”.
Citing information from Russia’s consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and the Buryatia government, Tsydenov said the woman had not visited Buryatia and that her infection was unrelated to the region.
“There are no plague outbreaks in the republic, including in areas bordering Mongolia,” he wrote on social media.
Laboratory Worker Dies After Reported Exposure
The woman was identified by the exiled news outlet Lyudi Baikala (People of Baikal) and pro-Kremlin broadcaster REN TV as Daria Sh., a 27- or 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute.
According to reports cited by the outlets, she told medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples for testing.
She was hospitalised on Tuesday with symptoms of severe pneumonia in Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk, and was placed on a ventilator before dying on Thursday, according to the reports.
The Shelekhov district hospital was placed under quarantine pending an assessment by a special commission, according to local reports.
Nearly 200 Contacts Under Observation
At least 197 people who may have come into contact with the woman were reportedly placed under medical isolation, including more than 100 in hospital wards.
Authorities also cancelled planned public events in Irkutsk, while law enforcement reportedly opened a criminal investigation into potential health safety violations resulting in death.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev urged people to remain calm after meeting Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova to coordinate emergency containment measures.
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“All identified contact persons have been placed under medical observation. As of today, the contacts show no signs of illness, and their laboratory test results are negative,” Kobzev wrote on Telegram.
Media reports have described the suspected infection as pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs and can spread between people through respiratory droplets. Tsydenov, however, did not specify the form of plague.
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