The death of a worker at a Russian plague research centre in Siberia has raised concerns that the deadly disease could spread.

The World Health Organisation and the United States have both asked Russia for more information on the circumstances surrounding the incident. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Russia to release more information. “I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” Rubio told reporters. “We’re watching it very closely, hour by hour.”

The incident has sparked a flurry of speculation about the circumstances in which the 28-year-old woman died. Russian officials have said they are still investigating the cause of the death but those who came into contact with the victim all tested negative to pneumonic plague.

Reports first emerged on Friday of almost 200 people being placed under observation in Siberia’s Irkutsk region following the death.
The lab worker, named in Russian media as Darya Shipilova, had reportedly fallen ill a couple of days earlier.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that she had become ill after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen or following a field trip to a region where plague occurs naturally among wild rodents.

But Russian officials have played down those reports. The country’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said the woman had died of “pneumonia of an undetermined etiology”.

Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Steve Rosenberg.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews

source

The NHS is seeing an increase in young people with bladder damage from ketamine use.

Prolonged use of the drug can lead to incontinence or uncontrolled peeing, and even kidney failure.

The BBC visits a specialist NHS clinic designed to help people with signs of ketamine damage, and speaks to trained medical staff, and young people who have struggled with addiction to the drug.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews

source

France’s President Emmanuel Macron says the G7 group of advanced economies will release up to 100 million barrels of diesel …

source

Hundreds of prisoners across England and Wales were to be released on 1 October under a new scheme by the UK government.

And it’s just the start of the scheme, which is set to see thousands of prisoners released over several months.

Offenders serving sentences of up to 19 months are now eligible for release after a third of their term.

While the government says the scheme is designed to free up prison space, victims have questioned how they will be protected.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#Prisons #Crime #BBCNews

source

The average price of diesel has risen above £2 a litre in the UK for the first time, according to the RAC motoring group, with petrol also soaring to 174.71p a litre on average.

Price rises were “showing no signs of slowing, heaping more misery onto motorists,” the group said.

Separately on Friday, the G7 nations agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil to head off further increases.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#Diesel #UK #BBCNews

source