A 28‑year‑old laboratory worker, Daria Shipilova, died in Irkutsk, Russia, on the night of 1–2 October after developing severe pneumonia. Shipilova worked at a research institute that studies plague, a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. According to Russian media, she was injured when a vial containing a lung‑plague pathogen was broken in her laboratory two days before her death. The Russian Ministry of Health announced that Shipilova’s cause of death was “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Russian authorities have not yet confirmed whether the pneumonia was caused by plague. The Ministry has said that the Institute and several nearby hospitals have been placed under quarantine. Sixty staff members remain in the institute, and five hospitals have also implemented quarantine measures. Family members of the quarantined individuals were prohibited from visiting the hospitals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk of a plague outbreak in Russia as low. On 3 October, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that no evidence of wider disease spread had been detected. “All individuals who had contact with the patient have been identified and are being monitored for symptoms,” he added. “So far, none of them have shown signs of illness.” WHO classified the risk in Irkutsk as moderate to low, the risk in the rest of Russia as low, and the risk in Europe as very low. Russian officials have urged the public not to rely on unverified reports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for calm and said that information should be based on statements from the Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor), the Russian health‑oversight agency. Rospotrebnadzor released a statement on 4 October stating that in the ten days preceding the incident no infectious diseases had been detected among the laboratory staff, and that tests of Shipilova’s body did not find any pathogens related to her work. Jelena Sofina, deputy head of the local district near Irkutsk, reported that the dangerous diagnosis had not been confirmed and that about 60 % of those under quarantine had been released. The United States has also expressed concern. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked Moscow for more details on the case, saying the U.S. was monitoring the situation closely. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, said the United States would provide assistance if needed. Plague remains a rare but serious disease in Russia. The last confirmed case in the country was in 2016 in the Altai region. In 2023, 137 plague foci were identified in 17 Russian regions, many near the Mongolian border, where plague outbreaks are more common. Shipilova’s death has drawn international attention because of the nature of the research institute and the potential risk of a laboratory accident. Russian authorities and WHO continue to investigate the cause of her death and the possibility of a plague infection.
Article source: Rzeczpospolita | Image credit: Rzeczpospolita