A young employee of an anti-plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region has died of plague, triggering a hospital quarantine and the isolation of close to 200 people.
The woman, named by REN TV as Daria Sh., was 27 or 28 and worked at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute, The Moscow Times reported.
According to the report, she told medical staff she had accidentally broken a test tube holding live bacteria while taking samples.
Also Read | Layoffs Are Rising In Tech, But These Skills Are Helping People Unlock Better Pay
She was admitted on Tuesday to a hospital in Shelekhov, a town near the regional capital, with severe pneumonia. She was put on a ventilator and died on Thursday.
Irkutsk officials initially referred only to a "particularly dangerous infection". The first public confirmation of plague came from Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighbouring Buryatia republic.
Citing the consumer safety regulator Rospotrebnadzor and his own government, he said the woman had never been to Buryatia and that her case had no link to the region.
"There are no plague outbreaks in the republic," he wrote, adding that this included districts along the Mongolian border. He did not say which form of the disease was involved.
ALSO READ: Ebola Kills 65 In Congo As Virus' Return Sparks Fears Of Spread
Media accounts have described it as pneumonic plague, the form that attacks the lungs and can pass between people through respiratory droplets. It is the most dangerous variant of the disease, though it can generally be treated with antibiotics if caught early.
The response in Irkutsk has been wide-ranging. The Shelekhov district hospital has been sealed off until a special commission completes its assessment.
At least 197 people believed to have been in contact with the woman have been placed under medical supervision, more than 100 of them on hospital wards. Public events planned in Irkutsk have been called off, andinvestigators have opened a criminal case into suspected breaches of health safety rules that led to a death.
Governor Igor Kobzev met Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova to coordinate containment and urged residents to stay calm.
In a Telegram post on Friday, he said every identified contact was under observation, none showed symptoms and all test results so far were negative. He did not refer to the reports about the laboratory worker's death, the outlet reported.
Authorities have not publicly explained how the infection occurred.
ALSO READ: Long Covid Study Finds Gut Immune System Struggling To Clear Lingering Virus
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
