A suspected plague outbreak in Russia’s Siberia has left a young lab worker dead and nearly 200 people have been put into isolation.
Russian health authorities have not confirmed that Shipilova had plague. Russian media reports suggested Shipilova may have contracted pneumonic plague, but the diagnosis has not been confirmed yet. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s government is facing accusations that it is trying to conceal the possible spread of the infection. As per The Moscow Times, Russian epidemiologist Mikhal Favorov questioned the story about the broken test tube. He viewed it as a possible sign of a cover-up. “Someone working at the anti-plague Institute in Irkutsk wears a protective anti-plague suit. If you break a test tub, the likelihood of infection is actually very low. No. Further testing found no microorganisms linked to her work. As per NY Post , plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. The disease killed tens of millions of people in the medieval Black Death. The three main forms are bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic plague. The symptoms can include fever, headache, chills, weakness, shortness of breath and coughing. All forms can be treated with antibiotics, especially if treatment starts early.
Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old lab assistant at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died on Thursday.
As per Lyudi Baikala , she told medical staff she had accidentally broken a test tube holding live bacteria while collecting samples. By “Wuhan case”, he meant COVID-19 that began in Wuhan, China and killed more than 7 million people, based on global health estimates. “It’s laughable,” Favorov said. In short, It doesn’t matter to the general public – they’ll believe the ‘dropped test tube story.’” Favorov said Anna Popova’s visit suggested that the situation was serious. “It’s absolutely hair-raising,” he said. He added, “We will not be told what really happened. Russia’s public health agency said Shipilova had “pneumonia of unknown etiology.
She had become very ill earlier in the week, as per reports.
As per GB News , she was admitted to a hospital in Shelekhov on Tuesday with severe pneumonia. She was placed on a ventilator but died on Thursday. As per The Moscow Times , Anna Popova, Russia’s chief public health official, travelled about 2,600 miles from Moscow to the Irkutsk region.
A hospital in Shelekhov was quarantined. All people who had contact with Shipilova were put under medical observation. Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev refused to name the illness. He also cancelled all public events in the region.
Authorities have declared a Covid -style plague quarantine in the area, according to GB News. He called it only “a dangerous infectious disease”. Russian political insider channel Nezygar warned: “The situation in Shelekhov, Irkutsk region, where a plague quarantine has been declared, resembles the Wuhan case.”
