After Russian death, a closer look at plague speculation

By PBS NewsHour

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The death of a young Russian lab worker at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia is sparking speculation about a possible case of pneumonic plague. The woman who died worked at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia in Shelekhov, a town that sits around 3,000 miles east of Russia’s Capital, Moscow. Researchers there study a number of diseases, including plague. The woman’s cause of death has not been confirmed. But Russian public health authorities said that she had been diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown etiology" or origin.  Nearly 200 people who were in contact with her have been placed under medical observation. Authorities said there is no evidence that her illness was caused by anything she had been working on. But a lack of information and conflicting reports from regional officials have heightened speculation that the illness at play could have been pneumonic plague. Here's a closer look at what we know. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live ne

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