Residents of the Irkutsk region in Russia are deeply concerned by rumors of a possible outbreak of pneumonic plague in this Siberian region, Euro News reported.
Speculation began to spread rapidly after the death of an employee of the Irkutsk Research Institute for Combating Plague.
An employee of a plague institute in the Irkutsk region, who died amid rumors of an epidemic of the “Black Death“, was diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown origin“. The federal agency Rospotrebnadzor insists that the situation in the region is “stable“.
Daria Shipilova died in the early hours of October 2 in the intensive care unit of the regional hospital in the town of Shelekhov. According to local media, she broke a test tube containing a dangerous pathogen.
The incident prompted authorities to introduce quarantine measures: about 200 people have been placed under strict medical supervision. The publication “People of Baikal“ reports that several hospitals in Irkutsk have been immediately closed and placed under quarantine, which will last three weeks.
According to the information, she told medical staff that she accidentally broke a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples for testing, De Re Militari reported.
Residents of Shelekhov report people on the streets wearing protective suits, masks and gloves. Local parents also say that masks were being distributed in kindergartens.
The deceased, a 28-year-old laboratory assistant, specialized in researching dangerous pathogens. According to the main version, spread by her colleagues and independent media, on September 25, while working with live biological material in the laboratory, she accidentally broke a test tube containing the dangerous bacterium Yersinia pestis.
The pulmonary form of the plague develops extremely quickly and without prompt and targeted antibiotic treatment is almost always fatal.
After the incident, the authorities initially limited the information they disseminated. During the first 24 hours, the authorities in the Irkutsk region avoided using the word “plague“.
Since Friday, residents of Irkutsk have been demanding that the governor and competent departments explain what is happening in their region. It has been confirmed that several hospitals in Irkutsk, as well as a maternity hospital, have been closed for a three-week quarantine. Sources of “People of Baikal” report that doctors in Irkutsk “are openly talking about the plague“. Earlier, the Central District Hospital in Shelekhov was closed for quarantine.
The governor of the Russian autonomous republic of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, also wrote in a post on social networks that a woman in the neighboring Irkutsk region had “died of the plague“.
Plague is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. Pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can be fatal if not treated promptly, according to the World Health Organization.