Siberia plague institute employee dies, about 200 staff placed in quarantine
A laboratory worker at an anti-plague research institute near Irkutsk died of severe pneumonia, and about 200 employees have been quarantined as a precaution.
An employee of an anti-plague research institute in Russia's Siberia region has died suddenly, causing alarm across the area. Pneumonic plague or some other highly dangerous infection is feared. About 200 employees have been quarantined as a precaution.
According to the state news agency TASS and Russia's health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, the incident took place at the anti-plague research institute in Shelekhov, near the city of Irkutsk. The institute is known for research on diseases considered highly infectious and deadly.
The employee, who worked in a laboratory, had suddenly developed severe pneumonia. He was being treated at the institute itself, but his condition worsened rapidly and he died. The actual cause of the pneumonia is not yet clear, which has made the health department even more vigilant.
As the news spread, fear gripped local residents and the possibility of a lockdown began to be discussed. Given the seriousness of the situation, the local anti-epidemic council immediately called a high-level meeting.
After the meeting, Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev appealed to people to remain calm. He said, "We have convened the meeting immediately because a suspected case of a highly dangerous infection has come up in the area, but there is no need for people to panic or spread rumours. The situation is fully under the administration's control."
Strict precautions are also being taken in the industrial areas around the research institute. The administration of the well-known Irkutsk Aluminium Plant in Shelekhov has made it mandatory for all workers to wear face masks while at work. Plant head Artem Fominykh said many false reports about the incident were circulating on social media and locally. He said people should trust only official statements and stay calm.
Meanwhile, Gennady Onishchenko, a former head of Russia's public health department and a senior expert, has given his view. According to him, it is very unlikely that the case in Siberia is plague. He said that even if laboratory tests confirm plague, the risk of the disease spreading widely is negligible given the current health system.
So far, the initial test reports of all 200 people who came into contact with the deceased employee have come back negative, and none of them has shown symptoms of the disease. Even so, as a full precaution they will be kept under strict medical observation for a few days.
