Russia Monitors Nearly 200 Contacts After Plague Lab Worker’s Death in Siberia

MOSCOW, Oct. 5 (TodayViralUSA) — Health authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region are monitoring nearly 200 people after a young technician at a Siberian anti-plague research institute died of severe pneumonia, a case that has prompted hospital quarantines and conflicting official accounts over whether plague was to blame.

The woman, identified in Russian media as 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. She was admitted to a hospital in the town of Shelekhov, near Irkutsk, on Sept. 29 and died in the early hours of Oct. 2, according to reports compiled by India Today.

Russian media reported that 197 people who may have had contact with her were identified and that 189 of them were hospitalized for observation, spread across two medical facilities and the institute itself. Authorities said none of those being monitored had shown signs of illness.

Conflicting accounts

The independent Siberian outlet Lyudi Baikala reported that Shipilova had accidentally broken a test tube containing plague bacteria while working on Sept. 25. That account has not been independently confirmed.

Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring Republic of Buryatia, wrote on social media on Oct. 2 that the woman had died of plague, while dismissing rumors that she had visited Buryatia. British media later reported that the wording of his post had been changed to say she had “possibly” died of the disease.

Russia’s consumer health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said on Oct. 4 that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia of undetermined cause. The agency said expanded testing had not found microorganisms in her samples linked to her professional work and that inspections found no accident involving dangerous pathogens at the institute.

Irkutsk regional Governor Igor Kobzev addressed the case publicly for the first time on Oct. 4 without naming the employee. He said no infectious illnesses had been recorded among institute staff over the previous 10 days and that all of the patient’s contacts had been identified, examined and placed under medical observation with daily laboratory testing, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Precautions in place

Despite the official assessment, precautionary measures remain in force. Several hospitals in the region and an aluminum plant introduced quarantine rules and mask requirements, according to the Kyiv Independent, citing Russian officials and media.

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which normally circulates among small mammals and their fleas, according to the World Health Organization. The pneumonic form, which infects the lungs, is the most dangerous because it can spread between people through respiratory particles and is fatal if not treated early. The WHO says common antibiotics are effective when the disease is diagnosed promptly.

Russian officials have not reported any further suspected cases. The monitoring of contacts is expected to continue while laboratory testing proceeds.