There’s no direct market read-through yet, because officials describe the situation as stable and close contacts have so far tested negative. And we all trust Russian officials, right? RIGHT?

Unconfirmed health scares can still feed short bursts of risk aversion, especially if social media gets ahead of official findings. The key risk would be confirmation of a transmissible pathogen with spread beyond close contacts, which could weigh on sentiment and lift safe havens. The nearby aluminium plant’s mask precaution is worth watching in case the scare starts to disrupt local industry.

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Earlier:

• Wuhan, covid, lock downs …. but its too early to link to all that, I hope 

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A death at a Siberian plague laboratory has Russian officials racing to reassure the public, but until they say what killed the researcher, the rumours will travel faster than the facts.

Summary:

• A researcher at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, near Irkutsk, has died after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin, following a suspected lab accident.
• Health agency Rospotrebnadzor says it is unclear what was released but calls the local situation stable. Buryatia’s leader said the 28-year-old woman possibly died of plague.
• Close contacts are under medical supervision with no symptoms and negative tests. Unofficial reports say nearly 200 people are under observation and a maternity hospital is quarantined.
• A former head of Rospotrebnadzor said the infection is most likely not plague and that cold weather would limit any spread.
• The WHO says plague is highly lethal but treatable with antibiotics. Only the pneumonic form spreads easily between people.

A researcher at a Russian anti-plague laboratory in Siberia has died after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin, CNN reported. The death has prompted emergency health measures in the Irkutsk region amid suspicions that a dangerous infection was released in a laboratory accident.

The incident took place at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, near the city of Irkutsk, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Rospotrebnadzor, the federal agency responsible for infectious disease, said it remains unclear exactly what was released. It said special measures had been taken in connection with the case of an institute employee but described the epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov as stable.

The head of the neighbouring republic of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, said the employee, a 28-year-old woman, had possibly died from plague. He stressed there were no plague outbreaks in his region. Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev urged calm on Friday after an extraordinary meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission with Russia’s chief state doctor, held over what he called a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection.

The nearby Irkutsk Aluminum Plant told staff to wear masks as a precaution. Its director also urged calm and said all identified close contacts were under medical supervision, showing no symptoms and testing negative. Unofficial reports, including from independent regional outlet Liudi Baikala, said nearly 200 people had been placed under observation at the Shelekhov hospital where the technician was treated, and that at least one maternity hospital was under quarantine.

Former Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko said the infection was most likely not plague. Even if it were, he said, colder weather would probably prevent it spreading.

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and takes three forms. Pneumonic plague is the only one that passes easily between people, through respiratory droplets. The World Health Organization says plague has a high fatality rate but can be readily treated with antibiotics and contained with infection-control precautions.

The case is likely to revive memories of the early days of Covid-19. Back then, speculation that the virus may have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, became one strand of a fierce debate over the pandemic’s origins. That question has never been settled, and the pandemic went on to trigger lockdowns around the world. For now, Russian officials insist the situation is under control. Confirmation of what infected the researcher will be the key test of those assurances.

From back in the day …

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.