No Plague Cases Reported After Russian Laboratory Worker’s Death
Russian health authorities reported no plague cases among people in contact with a 28-year-old worker at an anti-plague laboratory in Irkutsk, according to the World Health Organization. The worker, identified by Russian media as Darya Shipilova, died after developing pneumonia whose cause has not been established.
Her death prompted speculation about pneumonic plague, a bacterial infection, because she worked as a technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East. Russian officials told the WHO her illness appeared consistent with an acute respiratory viral infection, but said no plague case had been recorded in Irkutsk.
The WHO has requested more information about the pathogen that may have caused her pneumonia. Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said testing found no microorganisms in her body linked to her work and that no infectious diseases had been reported among institute staff over the 10 days before its statement.
Authorities identified people who had contact with Shipilova and placed them under hospital observation, with laboratory testing. The watchdog reported two COVID-19 cases and two rhinovirus infections among those tested, but said no other infectious disease pathogens had been detected. It said none of the contacts showed changes in health associated with infectious disease.
Local media reported that about 200 people had been quarantined. An official in the Shelekhov district near Irkutsk said 60 per cent of those quarantined had since been released. Residents described limited disruption, although some initially wore masks and a local hospital temporarily suspended diagnostic testing.
The Kremlin thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for offering assistance, without saying whether Russia would accept it. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Moscow to share more information. Health Canada said it was monitoring developments but saw no risk to Canada at the time of its statement. The WHO described the public health risk as low.