There's A 'Possible' Plague Case In Russia. So, Should We Be Worried In The UK?

Plague is a disease usually found in small mammals and their fleas.

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has shared it is looking into reports that a worker at an Anti-Plague Institute in Russia died from a mysterious infectious illness.

The 28-year-old laboratory technician worked at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and died last week after being diagnosed with pneumonia of an “unknown” origin, according to Russia’s infectious disease agency, Rospotrebnadzor.

Several hospitals are now reportedly under quarantine measures and all of the technician’s recent contacts are being tested as part of “anti-epidemic measures”.

According to news reports, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of the nearby republic Buryatia, said the employee died “possibly from the plague” but added there were “no plague outbreaks” in........

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