Woman dies of plague in Siberia: regional official
A 28-year-old laboratory technician has died of plague in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, leading to the quarantine of approximately 200 people. While local reports suggest a laboratory accident, official confirmation from the Russian health ministry is pending.
Why it matters
The potential for a highly infectious disease outbreak in a laboratory setting poses significant public health and biosafety concerns.
A woman in the remote Siberian region of Irkutsk has died of plague, a regional official said Friday, as a Russian media outlet reported dozens were under quarantine.
Local media named her as 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova.
The "People of Baikal" news outlet said she worked for the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute and may have contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube.
As many as 200 people with whom she may have had contact were under quarantine, the outlet added, without elaborating.
There was no immediate statement from Russia's health ministry and AFP was not able to verify the reports.
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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