Suspected pneumonic plague kills Russian lab worker; ~200 under observation

scienceOct 5, 202615526

A 28-year-old researcher at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk died after developing what Russian authorities called “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” and nearly 200 people who had contact with her were placed under medical observation, local officials said. Maksim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhov municipal district, said the inpatient facility where the researcher was treated was closed and quarantined. The pneumonic form of plague is caused by the same bacteria as bubonic plague and can spread person to person through respiratory droplets, the World Health Organization has warned, and requires rapid treatment with powerful antibiotics to prevent fatalities. The State Department said it was closely monitoring the situation with the Centers for Disease Control and urged Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly. The White House is monitoring the suspected outbreak and assessing options, an official told Axios. Dr. Ashish Jha called for much more information and transparency from Moscow and said an isolated case would likely end there, while a lab-related biological weapons program would raise far greater concern. The WHO had not immediately responded to requests for comment about the suspected case in Russia, and U.S. and European officials said they were watching developments as authorities continue contact tracing and observation.

Ron Filipkowski

@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

I’m sure Republicans will find a way to blame the Russian pneumonic plague issue on Fauci.

3881h ago

💐Flower 🌈 Power 🛖5

It was caused when the virus escaped Hunter's laptop, bounced off Fauci's shoe, and landed in Putin's lab while Trump napped (using Natalie's bag for a pillow). This created a chain reaction, bouncing the virus off the empty reflecting pool which spread it faster than Press Secretary disinformation

kgay2.bsky.social4

And Biden. And really its all Obama’s fault.

Rip Torn 2 🌊3

Republicans suffer from moronic plague.

Tim2

It was a collaboration of Jack Smith, Dr. Fauci and windmills and they have the texts to prove it.

FFS1

The plague has been in the US always and has several cases a year. Please don't get dumb America started.

Memnon of Rhodes1

The Black Death (1346-1353) was one of the most fatal pandemics in human history, as many as 100 million perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population died. Thanks Obama !!! 😡

Kat 🕊️

@smith83k.bsky.social

Russian lab worker dies of suspected plague as 200 enter medical observation The pneumonic plague is caused by the same bacteria as the bubonic plague, and can spread from person to person through airborne respiratory droplets. www.nbcnews.com/world/europe...

163h ago

THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS1

Be very careful if Trump starts talking about this. This has a "We have to postpone elections until this disease is under control." vibe to it.

Dean Obeidallah

@deanobeidallah.bsky.social

Hundreds of Russians in ‘Plague’ Lockdown Panic as Lab Worker Dies After Test Tube Accident. But don't worry America we have RFK, Jr and his brain worm to protect us! www.mediaite.com/media/news/h...

261h ago

Benn Jordan

@bennjordan.bsky.social

Biological War: A Scenario is about... ...wait for it... ...the extremely concerning possibility of a weaponised pneumonic plague strain leaking from a lab in Siberia.

364h ago

tomwellborn3rd

@wellborn.net

A worker at a Russian plague lab is dead after a broken test tube, and about 200 people are under observation. The White House says it's monitoring with the CDC, the same CDC RFK Jr. gutted while measles hit a 26 year high. Pray this one stays in Siberia.

81h ago

The Times and Sunday Times

@thetimes.com

Dozens of laboratory workers have been quarantined as Russian officials face accusations of withholding information about a suspected outbreak in Siberia

52h ago

Marjory van den Broeke

@mvandenbroeke.bsky.social

Scenario rejected by Netflix for being too outlandish Russian scientist dies after ‘dropping test tube’ containing pneumonic plague www.thetimes.com/article/f813...

52h ago

Sophie Molly

@sophiemolly.co.uk

Contact tracing was slow, testing was largely unavailable for weeks. Face coverings were not encouraged for weeks into the Pandemic. In my opinion we are woefuly underprepared for any large scale pneumonic plague outbreak. Yes the bacteria has been sensitive to certain anti-biotics in the past,

144h ago

Luke McGee

@lukemcgee.bsky.social

Europe is monitoring “very closely” a suspected case of pneumonic plague in eastern Russia, following the death of a lab worker, a European Commission spokesperson said Monday. www.politico.eu/article/eu-v...

61h ago

Climate, Ecology, War & More: Dr. Glen Barry BigEarthData.ai

@bigearthdata.ai

Pneumonic plague case in Russia raises questions: How it spreads and what Indians should know ->The Indian Express | More on "Pneumonic plague health outbreak explained" at BigEarthData.ai | #Plague #RussiaUkraineWar

33h ago

Melody Lee Lacy

@melodyleelacy.bsky.social

Russia accidentally released Pneumonic Plague on its own people. The germs then joined NAFO.

53h ago

Deborah Lynn

@mrsdeborahlynn.bsky.social

www.nbcnews.com/world/europe... Almost 200 people are under medical observation in Russia’s Siberia region after the death of a 28-year-old lab worker who may have been exposed to pneumonic plague, according to local media reports.

31h ago

eb99

@eb99.bsky.social

Russia in fact does not want a plague (in this case it's actually pneumonic, which is a bit more severe than bubonic) outbreak any more than the rest of the world does, and they appear to have taken the correct quarantine measures to contain it

52h ago

Jason Corcoran

@jasoncorcoran.bsky.social

Officials in Russia’s Irkutsk region urged residents to avoid a town where a woman may have died of pneumonic #plague, then thought better and deleted the warning.

34h ago

Owen Blacker

@owen.blacker.me.uk

With all of the reports I can see about what appears to be a single death, *potentially* from pneumonic plague, in Siberia being from non-scientific sources, I am absolutely gonna wait until @kakape.bsky.social reports some details before giving the matter any more attention

33h ago

3 sources

axios.comScoop: White House monitors suspected plague outbreak in Russia nbcnews.comRussian lab worker dies of suspected plague as 200 enter medical observation thetimes.comRussian scientist dies after ‘dropping test tube’ containing pneumonic plague

Suspected pneumonic plague kills Russian lab worker; ~200 under observationscience Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for optogeneticsscience

Suspected pneumonic plague kills Russian lab worker; ~200 under observation

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