Suspected Plague Leak at Russian Research Institute Sparks Global Concern

[Anchor]

An incident involving a suspected pathogen leak has occurred at a plague research institute in Russia. A researcher died of pneumonia after accidentally breaking a test tube containing the pathogen, and the world is closely monitoring the situation.

[Reporter]

Russian authorities announced that a researcher who was hospitalized with pneumonia following a pathogen leak accident at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute on the 25th of last month has died.

The researcher was hospitalized after showing symptoms of severe pneumonia after accidentally breaking a test tube containing the plague pathogen.

The researcher died between the night of October 1 and the early morning of October 2, three days after hospitalization.

The hospital stated that plague-related pathogens were not detected in samples taken from the researcher.

However, local media reports continue to suggest that the researcher may have died from pneumonic plague, which can be transmitted between humans.

Russian health authorities have closed the hospital ward where the researcher was admitted and are conducting additional investigations on all employees at the institute where the accident occurred.

[Dmitry Peskov / Kremlin Spokesperson: People should not get carried away by rumors or speculations and should be guided by the official statements of health authorities.]

Pneumonic plague can be transmitted between humans through respiratory droplets and is a disease with a high fatality rate.

As it has the potential to spread rapidly worldwide, the global community is keeping a close eye on the situation.

[Trump / U.S. President: In the past, pneumonia was much easier to treat. But microbes and bacteria have become much stronger than before. We will help them. We will help as much as we can.]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also contacted Russian authorities and launched an investigation.

The WHO stated that, based on information confirmed so far, "the public health risk to the general public appears to be low."

However, it added that it will reassess the risk as soon as additional information is confirmed.

[Video Editing: SUNGHOON]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.