{"id":1449281,"date":"2026-10-06T18:54:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/plague-outbreak-in-russia-treatment-options-may-be-limited\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T18:54:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:54:46","slug":"plague-outbreak-in-russia-treatment-options-may-be-limited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/plague-outbreak-in-russia-treatment-options-may-be-limited\/","title":{"rendered":"Plague outbreak in Russia: treatment options may be limited"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/strong> : Author’s Facebook<\/a> page.<\/em><\/p>\n

The topic of the plague outbreak in Russia is in the focus of attention of the world’s media and experts. And new information is emerging that is causing concern.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Siberian laboratory could have been developing a plague vaccine for the Russian military, suggested Brendan Wren, professor of microbial pathogenesis at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, The Times reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Yersinia pestis is used as a biological weapon, a vaccine for military personnel may be in demand,\u201d he noted.
Ren said there are about 2,000 cases of plague worldwide each year. He noted that while the disease is usually treatable with antibiotics, strains that are resistant to multiple antibiotics have recently emerged.<\/p>\n

“If a lab is working with such a strain, treatment options may be limited,” he said.
– The Russian authorities have an obligation to demonstrate to the world greater transparency about what exactly happened at the Siberian Plague Institute, says American scientist and biosafety expert Dr. Ashish K. Jha.<\/p>\n

“Many of you have been following the situation at the Irkutsk laboratory for the past few days. I have been gathering facts and trying to understand what is happening before expressing my opinion. Now that I have done so, I must say that I am concerned.<\/p>\n

Here’s what we know. According to available information, on September 25, a 28-year-old laboratory assistant at the “plague institute” broke a test tube containing the plague pathogen. She died on October 1 or 2. Currently, almost 200 people are in medical isolation.<\/p>\n

Officially, it is a civilian institution. However, it is well known that Russia has an active program to create military biological weapons. In addition, our intelligence services have publicly stated that this program has expanded significantly in recent years.<\/p>\n

There are also reports of FSB involvement in the current response. Special services officers are accompanying ambulances transporting people exposed to the pathogen. If true, this information does not correspond to a situation typical of a normal natural outbreak or even a normal laboratory accident.<\/p>\n

It is this situation that I have long expressed concern about and spoken publicly about as the most likely scenario with serious consequences. It is not that a country with a weapons program will decide to use it. It is that an accidental leak could occur during the implementation of a targeted program.<\/p>\n

American intelligence agencies believe that Russian scientists continue to develop a biological weapons capability. These programs are carried out in secret. No one from the outside inspects them, and those working inside have little incentive to admit when something is going wrong.<\/p>\n

We’ve seen it before. In 1979, anthrax spores escaped from a Soviet military facility in Sverdlovsk. At least 66 people died. It took several years for the public to learn about it. This was in a different era, before artificial intelligence and bioengineering became widespread.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the main takeaway: The number of laboratories working on dangerous pathogens is growing worldwide, meaning that incidents like this will become more common in the coming months and years.<\/p>\n

The Russian authorities have an obligation to show the world greater transparency about what exactly happened in the Irkutsk region. We need to understand exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

“We must accept that we may not know the whole truth. And we must take steps to strengthen our biological defenses accordingly,” Jha wrote in X.<\/p>\n

Also follow \u201cPryamim\u201d<\/strong> on Facebook<\/a> , X<\/a> , Telegram<\/a> , and Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n