Dr. Terry Simpson - The Unfiltered MD
Oct 4, 2026 · 27 min · 11 segments
A suspicious death at a Russian anti-plague laboratory has raised questions about *Yersinia pestis*, pneumonic plague, quarantine, and whether this is the start of something bigger. We separate the…
Plague today is uncommon, recognizable, and if treated quickly, treatable with antibiotics.
A 28-year-old laboratory worker with an anti-plague research institute developed a rapidly progressive pneumonia and died.
One account says that she accidentally broke a tube containing Yersinia pestis.
Russian federal authorities say something different, that she died from pneumonia of unknown origin and that no pathogen related to her work was found.
Meanwhile, nearly 200 people who had contact with her have been placed under medical observation.
Hospitals have imposed quarantine measures, and masking has been instituted in some nearby workplaces.
So before we decide that the Black Death has returned, let's remember what the plague actually does.
There's the bubonic plague, which is the classic one, typically caused from a flea carrying Yersinia pestis, and it bites somebody.
The bacteria moves into the lymph nodes, and they become enlarged, painful, and dark.
Then there is, uh, then there's the pneumonic plague, which is what matters in the Russian story.
People develop fever, profound illness, cough, shortness of breath, and bloody sputum or spit.
And unlike bubonic plague, the pneumonic plague can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets during close contact.
And if untreated, the pneumonic plague can kill within a day or two of symptoms beginning.
Plague today is uncommon, recognizable, and if treated quickly, treatable with antibiotics.
A 28-year-old laboratory worker with an anti-plague research institute developed a rapidly progressive pneumonia and died.
One account says that she accidentally broke a tube containing Yersinia pestis.
Russian federal authorities say something different, that she died from pneumonia of unknown origin and that no pathogen related to her work was found.
Meanwhile, nearly 200 people who had contact with her have been placed under medical observation.
Hospitals have imposed quarantine measures, and masking has been instituted in some nearby workplaces.
So before we decide that the Black Death has returned, let's remember what the plague actually does.
There's the bubonic plague, which is the classic one, typically caused from a flea carrying Yersinia pestis, and it bites somebody.
The bacteria moves into the lymph nodes, and they become enlarged, painful, and dark.
Then there is, uh, then there's the pneumonic plague, which is what matters in the Russian story.
People develop fever, profound illness, cough, shortness of breath, and bloody sputum or spit.
And unlike bubonic plague, the pneumonic plague can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets during close contact.
And if untreated, the pneumonic plague can kill within a day or two of symptoms beginning.
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