About 200 people placed under quarantine observation at hospital in Irkutsk region

Authorities probe cause; officials divided over whether plague is to blame

[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

A researcher has died following a pathogen leak at a plague research institute in Siberia, Russia, CNN reported Sunday (local time), citing the Russian state news agency Tass.

The incident occurred at the Irkutsk Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, a city near Irkutsk region. Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, the agency responsible for infectious disease control, announced that a 28-year-old researcher at the institute had died after being diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown origin."

Authorities are investigating to determine the exact type of pathogen released. Alexei Tsydenov, the head of the Republic of Buryatia, which borders Irkutsk region, said plague was a possible cause of the researcher's death. He added that there had been no plague outbreak in Buryatia.

After news of the incident spread, an aluminum factory near the institute issued instructions requiring all employees to wear masks as a precautionary measure. CNN said the fallout appeared to be growing despite official calls for calm.

About 200 people at the Shelekhov hospital where the deceased researcher was taken have been designated for quarantine observation, according to local independent outlet Lyudi Baikala and other media. A maternity hospital in the city was also placed under quarantine.

Gennady Onishchenko, a former head of the consumer protection agency, told Tass that the infection was unlikely to be plague, and that even if it were confirmed as such, low temperatures would prevent it from spreading on a large scale.

Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of the disease caused by the plague bacterium. Unlike other forms of plague, which are transmitted through flea bites or contact with animals, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets.


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