Worker at Russian plague lab dies; ‘anti-epidemic measures’ imposed
Russian authorities have imposed “anti-epidemic measures” after a laboratory worker at an institute in Siberia dedicated to studying the plague and other infectious diseases died of a mysterious illness.
The researcher, a 28-year-old female laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia, in the town of Shelekhov, died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of “unknown” origin, according to Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian agency that handles infectious disease.
CNN’s Fred Pleitgen has the details and Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and Science Chair for Save America Movement, joins CNN's Omar Jimenez to discuss what we know about the worker at the Russian plague lab who is dead of an "unknown" infection. Also, CNN’s Becky Anderson speaks with Vanderbilt University Medical Center Professor of Medicine Dr. William Schaffner about the mystery surrounding researcher’s death.
Correction: Angela Rasmussen is a virologist and the Science Chair for Save America Movement, she's no longer affiliated with the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
0:00 What we know about a Russian researcher’s death of unknown infection
3:21 Is there a risk of the infection spreading?
7:18 What more do we need to know and is the mysterious illness treatable?
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedA 28-year-old researcher at a Siberian plague lab died of an unknown pneumonia, sparking concerns of a laboratory accident. While Russian authorities and the WHO suggest the public health risk is low, local quarantines are in place. Experts note that while pneumonic plague is deadly, it is not highly transmissible compared to viruses like COVID-19.