What is pneumonic plague and how dangerous is it?
WHO said the public health risk appears low as Russian authorities quarantine nearly 200 contacts and investigate the worker’s death.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that U.S. officials are monitoring a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia after a woman died Friday with an "undetermined" cause at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
- Pneumonic plague, the deadliest form of the disease caused by Yersinia pestis, is rare but historically significant, having triggered global pandemics as the 14th-century "Black Death." Nearly 200 people who had contact with the woman remain under precautionary medical observation.
- Respiratory droplets typically travel only three to six feet, according to Dr. Dave Wagner of Northern Arizona University, and patients require treatment within 48 hours of showing symptoms to prevent fatal complications.
- Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's former Covid response coordinator, expressed concern about potential biological weapons programs in the laboratory. "We need to understand that now," Jha added, urging investigation into the facility's activities.
- In the U.S. Southwest, including Arizona and Colorado, the plague persists in rural regions where the bacteria naturally circulate among wild rodents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about seven cases annually.
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57 Articles
Russian public health officials are investigating after a researcher at a plague research institute in Siberia died from pneumonia of unknown cause. Around 200 close contacts have been quarantined. Meanwhile, the WHO confirms the risk to the general public remains low.
The World Health Organization is in contact with Russian sanitary authorities over a case of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East..
“WHO is in contact with the Russian health authorities to verify the event, its circumstances, the laboratory tests underway, and their results, the rationale for contact-tracing and the health status of contacts, as well...
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Shin-young = In connection with the incident in which a pathogen leaked from a plague research institute in Siberia, Russia, resulting in the death of one researcher, the World Health Organization (WHO...
Plague Outbreak at Remote Siberian Russian Lab Raises Bioweapons Questions
Internewscast Internewscast A reported possible plague outbreak at a Russian laboratory has renewed questions… This Post: Plague Outbreak at Remote Siberian Russian Lab Raises Bioweapons Questions first appeared on Internewscast
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