Explained: Russia keeps a tight lid on suspected case of pneumonic plague as global concerns mount

The lab worker died Oct. 2 in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk.

pneumonic plague

A less common but severe lung-based form of plague that can spread between people via respiratory particles.

Rospotrebnadzor

Russia's public health watchdog agency.

etiology

The cause or origin of a disease.

incubation period

The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms.

Anti-Plague Research Institute

The Irkutsk facility, established in the 1920s, that studies plague endemic to southeastern Siberia.