Russian lab worker dies of suspected plague as hundreds placed in quarantine
www.independent.co.uk
Darya Shipilova is said to have been exposed to the pathogen while working at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia

Darya Shipilova is said to have been exposed to the pathogen while working at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia

Hundreds of people have been placed into quarantine in Siberia after a laboratory worker died of suspected plague, according to reports.

Darya Shipilova, an employee at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, was exposed to the bacteria after she accidentally broke a test tube containing the pathogen while she was collecting samples, the Kyiv Independent reported.

She was hospitalised on 29 September with severe pneumonia of "unknown origin” and placed on a ventilator, but died shortly after.

Independent Russian outlet Lyudi Baikal reported that several hospitals in the city of Irkutsk had closed for a three-week quarantine.

  • Avicenna@programming.devEnglish
    42·
    6 hours ago

    I mean unless they are somehow trying to develop an antibiotic and vaccine resistant strain of the plague? If it were the case then it is almost 100% a bioweapon research at best under the guise of bioweapon security. And I don’t know if this person is a bioweapon researcher or a public health researcher.

    • Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      2 hours ago

      my fear is dumber than that, people just wont wanna take the vaccine and antibiotic and there will be this weird disease loving faction that does great damage to the greater society.

      • Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        1 hour ago

        Yes it is much cheaper and easier to convince people to not use vaccines and other proven medical interventions than it would be to create a novel virus. Look at the idiotic life threatening things people are willing to do to follow a TicToc trend or Insta. Not to mention all the idiocy they will follow due to AI. Those are the ‘deadly viruses’ people should be fearing.

    • cardboardboxfort@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      6 hours ago

      I mean unless they are somehow trying to develop an antibiotic and vaccine resistant strain of the plague?

      That would be unwise as you’d ideally want to have an antibiotic available for your own troops in a war. We also pretty much know about all of Russia’s bioweapon work after the cold war ended, there’s even an Anthrax island site they abandoned.

      Fortunately bio weapon research is even more niche today than it was at the height of cold war tensions and all nations have cut back and destroyed big chunks of their stockpiles.

      Also keep in mind that things like leprosy still occur in the USA (Florida is even seeing a small increase in cases) so it’s not necessarily that uncommon or a cause for concern. Things like the plague, leprosy and even strep throat (known as scarlet fever back when it regularly killed kids and routinely caused deafness in survivors) and easier to cure/treat thanks to modern medicine. The hygienic practices we have these days also help keep these things from breaking out like they used to.