Siberian lab worker dies of suspected plague; US urges Russia to share data

aljazeera.com —

A Russian lab worker in Siberia has died of suspected pneumonic plague, with US officials monitoring the case and urging Moscow to share information openly. The employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute was diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown aetiology," according to Russia's TASS news agency, though Rospotrebnadzor found no microorganisms linked to her work. Local media identified her as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova. Nearly 200 people in the Irkutsk region have been placed under medical observation. Pneumonic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is highly infectious and can be fatal without early treatment, according to the World Health Organization.


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