Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old Russian laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, broke a test tube containing plague bacteria during experiment preparations and died shortly thereafter. Dozens of facilities in Russia have been closed, and hundreds of people have already been placed in isolation over fears of a global pandemic.
During an experiment with live Yersinia pestis bacteria, the primary agent behind pandemics such as the plague and Europe's Black Death, the young technician accidentally broke the vial at the Irkutsk Research Institute, triggering an international drama.
The young researcher died shortly after contracting the disease, and according to reports, several other researchers are in serious health conditions and are being held in deep isolation. Meanwhile, steps have already begun in parts of Russia in an attempt to contain the spread of the illness.
A mask mandate was declared in part of the country, dozens of facilities were placed under quarantine, and five hospitals were declared isolation centers. In the US, calls are already being made to act quickly and stop all flights between Russia and the country.
According to Russian reports, hundreds of people have been placed in quarantine and isolation out of concern for potential exposure, given that the deadly bacterium takes between 4 to 7 days for symptoms to appear.
