US closely monitoring case of lab worker who possibly died of plague in Siberia
4 hours ago
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US is closely monitoring the case of a Russian lab worker who died after an accident at a plague research institute in Siberia.
- Darya Shipilova, 28, fell ill at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute and died two days later; the cause of illness remains unclear.
- The institute was locked down, staff quarantined, and hospitals in Irkutsk imposed restrictions; conflicting messages from Russian officials have caused public concern.
- Russian officials initially said plague, then pneumonia of unknown origin; tests found no work-related microorganisms, but precautionary measures like masks and event cancellations were introduced.
- Senior health officials visited Irkutsk; governor urged calm while noting all contacts tested negative. US politicians linked the incident to previous Russian disinformation about biolabs.
- Plague is endemic in Siberia but human cases are rare; experts consider this a likely lab accident with limited spread potential due to modern antibiotics.