Siberia Plague Case Raises Pandemic Concerns After Lab Worker Dies

A laboratory worker in Siberia, Russia, died from plague after breaking a test tube containing live bacteria, leading to 197 people being quarantined and raising concerns about a potential new pandemic. The 28-year-old worker at a plague research institute in Irkutsk reportedly broke the tube while collecting samples and died from pneumonic plague, which spreads through the air. The regional hospital was quarantined, public events were cancelled, and authorities said tests on those in quarantine have so far been negative. Experts say modern antibiotics make plague treatable if caught early, unlike the medieval "Black Death," but pneumonic plague has high epidemic potential. Turkey is monitoring the situation due to frequent air travel and trade with Russia, though no direct risk to the country has been identified.