Daily Junction.mobi portal<p>But it’s critical signs of plague are recognised early. Early symptoms of pneumonic plague – such as fever, headache, weakness and a cough – resemble many other illnesses. Most doctors outside endemic regions will never have seen a case, let alone suspect it. Minimising the delay between infection, suspicion and treatment is key. This is why awareness and rapid testing matter, especially for those who may have been exposed. </p>
<p>The risk to the public from this single suspected case in Siberia is very low, both within Russia and further afield. What matters now is whether any of those under observation fall ill, whether laboratory results confirm plague and whether investigation reveals how the laboratory worker became infected.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/293729/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/josephine-bourner-2769658">Josephine Bourner</a>, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queen-mary-university-of-london-1745">Queen Mary University of London</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/russian-plague-scare-an-expert-explains-what-we-know-so-far-and-why-theres-no-need-to-panic-293729">original article</a>.</p> </div>