US monitors suspected plague case in Russian lab worker amid fears of internal spread, says Rubio
Rubio also indicated that quarantine measures had been taken in connection with the incident, although he did not provide details about the number of people affected or whether any internal transmission had been confirmed. Russian authorities have not confirmed plague as the cause of death, although reports have raised the possibility of pneumonic plague. Authorities have identified the known contacts and reported no new cases among institute staff.
The remarks came after a laboratory worker at Russia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute died following pneumonia of unknown origin, prompting quarantine and medical monitoring of her contacts. Reports also alleged that the worker may have been exposed to plague bacteria in a laboratory incident, but Russian authorities have denied evidence of an accident involving dangerous pathogens.