CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: New Delhi. Concerns over a possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia’s Siberia region have worried health authorities. A 28-year-old employee of a plague research institute in Irkutsk died after severe pneumonia. After this, around 200 people who came in contact with the employee have been placed under medical monitoring. However, Russian health authorities have not yet confirmed plague as the cause of death, and an investigation is under way.
Pneumonic plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It is a severe form of plague and can spread to another person in close contact through respiratory droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the World Health Organization, treatment for plague is available, and a patient’s life can be saved if the right antibiotics are given in time. Its major symptoms may include high fever, headache, weakness, cough, difficulty breathing and chest pain. In some cases, coughing may bring up blood or watery sputum. Pneumonic plague can become serious quickly, so if such symptoms are present along with a history of possible contact or exposure, immediate medical help is necessary.
Treatment involves appropriate antibiotics under the supervision of doctors. Samples from a suspected patient are tested in a laboratory, and if a serious infection is suspected, treatment may be started without waiting for the final test results. People who have been in close contact may also be kept under medical monitoring and, if needed, given preventive medication. In the Russia case, for now, it is important to rely on official health information rather than panic. According to Russian officials, no large-scale pneumonic plague infection has been confirmed so far. Health authorities in the United States and Europe are also monitoring the situation.
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