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Josephine Bourner, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London

Russian plague scare: an expert explains what we know so far – and why there’s no need to panic

The woman worked in an anti-plague research facility. PeopleImages/ Shutterstock

A laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, Russia, has died just days after falling ill with an undisclosed illness.

While reports of suspected plague have been circulating in the media, Russia’s consumer health watchdog has described the illness as pneumonia of unknown cause. The World Health Organization also stated the official cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Plague therefore remains only a possible explanation.

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