Reports circulating in Russia about plague have caused serious concern in the country. According to the claims, 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at a scientific institution where plague research is carried out, died after she accidentally broke a test tube containing a sample of the bacterium. After the incident, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan tightened sanitary and epidemiological controls at their borders.
Plague and cholera ran rampant especially in the Middle Ages, causing the deaths of millions of people. In the Safavid state alone, nearly 100,000 people are reported to have died from plague and cholera.
Could the disease spread widely again within a short period? What steps can Azerbaijan take? Are these diseases still as fearsome today as they were in the Middle Ages?
Speaking to Globalinfo.az, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Adil Geybulla said the matter here concerns plague, not cholera:
“These are completely different infections. In translations, plague is sometimes presented as cholera. Both are quarantine infections. Of the four particularly dangerous infections, one is cholera, one is plague, and the others are yellow fever and smallpox. Smallpox has been eradicated thanks to vaccination, but that does not mean the threat has been completely eliminated. The death of a 28-year-old employee of the anti-plague institute in the Russian city of Irkutsk is now raising serious questions. Plague is a disease caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium and has repeatedly caused pandemics in human history. It has three main forms: bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic. In the bubonic form, the lymphatic system is affected and a purulent swelling forms. The pneumonic form is more dangerous, and the person who died in Irkutsk is reported to have been infected with this form. The third form is septicaemic plague.”
Adil Geybulla
The professor said plague exists in natural foci, mainly among rodents:
“Mice, other rodents, some animals and even camels in the deserts can contract this disease. Consuming the meat of infected animals also leads to infection and mass spread. That is why individual cases of plague and deaths are recorded every year in natural foci. It is still not entirely clear what caused the incident in Irkutsk. Along with the possibility that it is linked to a natural focus, a sabotage version is not ruled out either. The matter is expected to be clarified in the near future.
Plague could also occur in Azerbaijan. Our country has natural foci and an anti-plague station. Therefore, appropriate measures must be taken, controls must be strengthened, and attention must be increased, especially in cross-border crossing zones. After the advent of antibiotics, fighting plague has become considerably easier. Nevertheless, given that widespread transmission could cause serious casualties, it is important to treat the matter seriously.”
Ləman İmran
Globalinfo.az
