A psychic known as the "Prophet of Doom" predicted a "biological type of illness" days before a plague researcher died in Russia. Last week, a female lab worker from the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East died of a "pneumonia" of unknown origin, raising concerns she may have been exposed to pneumonic plague.
No evidence of pathogen link
Russian authorities say they have found no evidence that her illness was connected to the pathogens she worked with. Russia's consumer welfare service also noted that the area's "sanitary-epidemiological situation" remained "stable".
Despite this, 200 people thought to have been in contact with the researcher are now under medical observation. She reportedly said she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria, but her cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Psychic's forecast
A week before she died on October 1, psychic medium Craig Hamilton-Parker predicted that an outbreak impacting the chest and lungs was on the horizon. His forecast appeared in a video on September 24, in a section titled Warning of Another Future Pandemic.
Craig claimed he received a surprise visit from two Tibetan monks, who reportedly said this outbreak would be a "different one". In his explanation, Craig said: "It would be more like a biological type of illness that would be much harder to control. It's much more dangerous, this one, because it can spread much more quickly."
He further claimed that the monks were aware of a cure buried in ancient texts - and humankind was expected to stop it. "So if it happens again, guys, rest assured, we're going to conquer it. We'll beat it."
Plague forms and mortality
Plague is caused by infection with the bacterium Yersinia pestis, often carried by small mammals and fleas. It is split into three forms: bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic - the "rarest" and "most severe", according to The UK Health Security Agency.
It writes on the GOV website: "Pneumonic plague is the rarest and also the most severe form of plague. It may result from spread to the lungs from advanced bubonic plague but is more usually due to inhalation of infectious particles. Person-to-person transmission is seen but the degree of contact needed is not clear. Patients present with a rapidly developing pneumonia and may produce bloody sputum. Untreated pneumonic plague is almost always fatal."
It added that even with rapid diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rate remains at about 30 per cent. By contrast, bubonic plague is usually caused by flea bites, while septicaemic takes place when plague spreads through the blood.
On Sunday, the White House said it was monitoring the situation in Russia. In a quote obtained by Axios, a Trump official said the administration was "aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options".
