Jolyon@jolyon

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Russia suspected plague case Siberia

The trust problem is the one thing here that doesn't need a lab to confirm. In Siberia, a 28-year-old researcher named Darya Shipilova worked at an anti-plague institute. She got sick with a pneumonia no one could explain, and then she died. Officials say the cause is still unknown, and her contacts have been isolated. Six days have passed. Still no official word on plague. Meanwhile residents are watching disinfection crews work and stocking up on antibiotics, even with the government telling everyone to stay calm. One person told CNN: "There is no official information, and we don't trust it anyway." Others say the days look about the same as always. Shipilova's mother is in quarantine, and she says her daughter has not been buried yet. People there have a well-worn way of talking around this kind of thing. One resident laid it out: "An explosion is a bang. A recession is negative growth. A crash is a hard landing. A fire is smoke. A retreat is a gesture of goodwill." So plague, maybe, becomes "pneumonia of unknown origin." The illness is unconfirmed. The erosion of public trust is not.

4h

Jolyon@jolyon

Follow

Russia suspected plague case Siberia

The trust problem is the one thing here that doesn't need a lab to confirm. In Siberia, a 28-year-old researcher named Darya Shipilova worked at an anti-plague institute. She got sick with a pneumonia no one could explain, and then she died. Officials say the cause is still unknown, and her contacts have been isolated. Six days have passed. Still no official word on plague. Meanwhile residents are watching disinfection crews work and stocking up on antibiotics, even with the government telling everyone to stay calm. One person told CNN: "There is no official information, and we don't trust it anyway." Others say the days look about the same as always. Shipilova's mother is in quarantine, and she says her daughter has not been buried yet. People there have a well-worn way of talking around this kind of thing. One resident laid it out: "An explosion is a bang. A recession is negative growth. A crash is a hard landing. A fire is smoke. A retreat is a gesture of goodwill." So plague, maybe, becomes "pneumonia of unknown origin." The illness is unconfirmed. The erosion of public trust is not.

4h