A 27-year-old employee of an anti-plague institute died after suspected pneumonic plague infection.

REN TV informs that a total of 189 people were subject to epidemiological proceedings. Twelve people were sent to the anti-plague institute for observation, and the rest were placed in two hospitals. Some patients show symptoms of the disease, but infections have not yet been confirmed.

The Telegram channel "Mash" reports that the deceased woman was 27 years old and worked at an anti-plague institute. Reports indicate that she contracted pneumonic plague - the most severe, rarest and most contagious form of plague.

According to one of the versions presented, the 27-year-old returned from a business trip to Buryatia, where natural outbreaks of plague were reported in the regions near the border with Mongolia. Another hypothesis is that a test tube with a dangerous bacterium may have been damaged during work in the laboratory.

Three days ago, on Tuesday, September 29, a woman was admitted to a hospital in the city of Shelekhov with symptoms of pneumonia. Although she was put on a ventilator, she died two days later. All medical staff were isolated and the clinic itself was quarantined.

Authorities: test results are negative

Local authorities immediately took appropriate action. Governor of the Irkutsk Oblast, Igor Kobzev, announced that an extraordinary meeting of the sanitary and anti-epidemic commission was held with the participation of Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, a federal state office responsible for, among others, the function of the sanitary service.

The local government official said that the talks concerned information about a resident of the region being infected with a "particularly dangerous infection."

"All identified contacts have been put under observation. They currently do not show any symptoms of the disease, and the laboratory test results are negative," assures Igor Kobzew.

Plague - what is this disease?

Plague is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It is most often transmitted by fleas feeding on infected rodents, and less often it can spread between people through droplets.

It stands out, among others: bubonic, pulmonary and septic forms. Today it can be treated with antibiotics, but without quick medical help it can be fatal.