俄罗斯伊尔库茨克州居民因传闻该西伯利亚地区可能爆发肺鼠疫而深感担忧。在伊尔库茨克防疫研究所一名员工死亡后，猜测开始迅速蔓延。
Residents of Russia's Irkutsk region are deeply worried by rumours of a possible outbreak of pneumonic plague in this Siberian area. Speculation began to spread rapidly after the death of an employee of the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute.
10月2日凌晨，达里娅·希皮洛娃在舍列霍夫镇区医院重症监护室去世。据当地媒体报道，她打破了一支装有鼠疫病原体的试管。
Darya Shipilova died in the early hours of 2 October in the intensive care unit of the district hospital in the town of Shelekhov. According to local media, she broke a test tube containing the plague pathogen.
这一事件促使当局采取检疫措施：约200人被置于严格医学观察之下。媒体《贝加尔人》（俄语来源）报道，伊尔库茨克多家医院立即关闭并实施检疫，预计持续三周。周六，舍列霍夫的伊尔库茨克铝厂强制要求佩戴口罩作为预防措施。
The incident prompted authorities to introduce quarantine measures: around 200 people have been placed under strict medical observation. The outlet "Baikal People" (source in Russian) reports that several Irkutsk hospitals were immediately closed and placed under quarantine, due to last three weeks. On Saturday, masks were made compulsory as a preventive measure at the Irkutsk aluminium plant in Shelekhov.
舍列霍夫居民在街上看到身穿防护服、戴口罩和手套的人员。当地家长还表示，幼儿园发放了口罩。鼠疫从何而来？
Residents of Shelekhov have seen people on the streets wearing protective suits, masks and gloves. Local parents also say masks were handed out in kindergartens. Where did the plague come from?
死者是一名28岁的实验室助理，专门从事危险病原体研究。据其同事和独立媒体报道的主要说法，9月25日，她在实验室操作活体生物材料时，意外打碎了一支装有危险细菌——鼠疫耶尔森菌的试管。
The deceased, a 28-year-old laboratory assistant, specialised in research on dangerous pathogens. According to the main account reported by her colleagues and independent media, on 25 September, while working with live biological material in the laboratory, she accidentally smashed a test tube containing the dangerous bacterium Yersinia pestis.
两天后，希皮洛娃病情突然恶化。她被紧急送往舍列霍夫区医院。起初医生不知情，怀疑是严重新冠病例，将她收治进专门的新冠病房。然而，病情迅速恶化和临床表现迫使他们进行高危感染快速检测。
Two days later Shipilova's condition suddenly worsened. She was rushed to Shelekhov district hospital. At first doctors, unaware of what had happened, suspected a severe case of coronavirus and admitted her to a specialised Covid unit. However, the rapid deterioration and the clinical picture forced them to carry out rapid tests for highly dangerous infections.
患者被送上呼吸机，但生命未能挽回。肺鼠疮发展极快，若无及时针对性的抗生素治疗，几乎必死无疑。当局在隐瞒信息吗？
The patient was put on a ventilator, but her life could not be saved. The pulmonary form of plague develops extremely fast and, without prompt and targeted antibiotic treatment, is almost invariably fatal. Are the authorities hiding information?
当局的即时反应凸显了事态的严重性。俄罗斯联邦消费者权益保护和公益监督局局长安娜·波波娃紧急抵达舍列霍夫医院，并参加了由伊尔库茨克州州长伊戈尔·科布泽夫主持的卫生防疫委员会紧急会议。
The authorities' immediate response underlined how serious the situation was. The head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, urgently arrived at Shelekhov hospital and took part in an emergency meeting of the sanitary and anti-epidemic commission chaired by regional governor Igor Kobzev.
事发后，官方最初限制了发布的信息。前24小时内，伊尔库茨克州政府和州长伊戈尔·科布泽夫避而不用“鼠疫”一词。10月2日，科布泽夫称系“特别危险感染”，并表示“局势在严格控制之下”。次日，贝加尔斯克当局呼吁居民因鼠疫不要前往舍列霍夫，但几小时后删除了该帖子。
After the incident, officials initially restricted the information they released. During the first 24 hours, authorities in the Irkutsk region and Governor Igor Kobzev avoided using the word "plague". On 2 October Kobzev spoke of "a particularly dangerous infection" and said that "the situation is under strict control". The next day the authorities in Baikalsk urged residents not to travel to Shelekhov because of plague, but deleted the post a few hours later.
布里亚特共和国首脑阿列克谢·茨德诺夫也对局势发表评论。他援引联邦消费者权益保护和公益监督局和共和国政府的说法称，该女子死亡与鼠疫感染有关，但随后其声明被修改为更为谨慎的措辞。
The head of Buryatia, Alexey Tsydenov, also commented on the situation. Citing Rospotrebnadzor and the republican government, he said the woman's death was linked to plague infection, but later his statement was amended to a more cautious wording.
这种模糊不清的态度在伊尔库茨克及周边地区的社交网络上引发了恐慌。
This lack of clarity has fuelled panic on social networks in Irkutsk and neighbouring regions.
著名俄罗斯流行病学家根纳季·奥尼先科试图安抚当地居民，称西伯利亚的鼠疫宿主——啮齿动物和跳蚤——通常在10月初进入冬眠。但这并未消除民众的恐惧。“病因不明的肺炎”周日，联邦消费者权益保护和公益监督局表示，伊尔库茨克州的卫生流行病学形势稳定，该女子死于“病因不明的肺炎”。
Well-known Russian epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko tried to reassure local residents, saying that plague carriers - rodents and fleas - in Siberia usually go into winter dormancy by early October. But that did not dispel people's fears." Pneumonia of unknown aetiology"On Sunday, Rospotrebnadzor said that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk region was stable, and that the woman had died from "pneumonia of unknown aetiology".
该机构坚称，对从该患者身上采集的样本进行的进一步检测未发现与其职业工作相关的微生物。俄罗斯联邦消费者权益保护和公益监督局（Rospotrebnadzor）新闻处表示：“伊尔库茨克州以及伊尔库茨克市和谢列霍夫市的卫生与流行病学局势稳定。”“针对西伯利亚和远东地区伊尔库茨克抗鼠疫研究所一名员工患病一事，已组织并实施了一套特别措施，其诊断为‘病因不明肺炎’。”
俄罗斯联邦消费者权益保护和公益监督局还表示，该研究所未记录到涉及致病微生物的事件，且“过去10天内没有员工因传染病寻求医疗帮助”。
The agency insists that further testing of samples taken from the patient did not reveal any micro-organisms related to her professional work." The sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk region, in the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, is stable," the press service of Rospotrebnadzor said. "A special package of measures has been organised and carried out in connection with the illness of an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East, diagnosis: 'Pneumonia of unknown aetiology'."Rospotrebnadzor also stated that no incidents involving pathogenic microorganisms had been recorded at the institute and that "no staff member has sought medical help for infectious diseases in the past 10 days".