Ebola Kills Russian Scientist

The New York Times reports that a Russian scientist working in a former Soviet biological weapons facility in Siberia died after accidentally sticking herself with a needle laced with Ebola. There is no vaccine or treatment for the Ebola virus.

According to the Times:

Scientists and officials said the accident had raised concerns about safety and secrecy at the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, known as Vector, which in Soviet times specialized in turning deadly viruses into biological weapons.

[. . .]

An American scientist was involved in a similar accident with ebola at the Army's leading biodefense lab at Fort Detrick, Md., several months ago. But she did not contract the disease.

It is errie that the scientist was killed by the Ebola virus about the same time an Ebola-like outbreak occurred in Sudan.

Comments

[Cat]

To all the peoplewho say that this was on purpose are idiots. Just because they are working with a virus doesn't mean that they are toatly safe. The precatuions can only protect them so much. Human error caused her to get pricked, nothing more. It is a sad event that her work caused her death but there is little any one could have done to help her.

[BloodSpite]

$10 bucks says she was assisted in that pricking.

Since when do scientists who study the stuff not take precatuions against such a thing?

[James R. Rummel]

Good post.

James

[Scared Monkey]

How comforting is it to know Russia has all that bio weaponry? (shudder)

Putin reminds me of a mafia boss. I think he wants to put the Soviet Union back together and be in charge.

Too bad he wasn't the prick that got pricked.

[Jeff B]

****It is eerie that the scientist was killed by the Ebola virus about the same time an Ebola-like outbreak occurred in Sudan.****

Maybe she just pricked herself while boxing it up for UPS, to ship to Sudan. I guess they figure birth control hasn't worked, so they'll try this.