Russia quarantines about 200 after lab worker dies in suspected plague case

Russian authorities have quarantined about 200 people in Siberia following the death of a laboratory worker amid reports she may have contracted pneumonic plague while working at a research institute.

The 28-year-old woman, identified by Russian media as Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.

According to reports cited by Al Jazeera, Shipilova became ill while at work on Sept. 30 and died two days later at a hospital in Shelekhov. Some Russian media reports suggested she may have been exposed following an accident involving a test tube, although authorities have not confirmed this.

About 200 people who had contact with Shipilova have since been quarantined, while parts of the hospital where she died were cordoned off. A nearby aluminium plant also instructed employees to wear masks.

Russian authorities, however, said tests had found no evidence that her illness was caused by pathogens she worked with.

Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said Shipilova died from “pneumonia of unknown aetiology” and that no new cases among staff of the Anti-Plague Institute had been identified in recent days.

Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said two COVID-19 cases and two rhinovirus cases had been detected among people who had contact with the researcher, but no other infectious diseases had been identified.

The incident has nevertheless drawn international attention because pneumonic plague is a severe form of plague capable of spreading between people through infectious respiratory droplets during close contact.

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and remains endemic in some parts of the world, including Siberia. Bubonic plague is the most common form, while pneumonic and septicaemic plague are less common but can be fatal if not treated quickly.

All forms of plague can be treated with antibiotics when identified early.

US officials said they were monitoring the situation, while Russian authorities urged the public to rely on official information rather than speculation.

Experts said the available information remained limited and that quarantine, monitoring and preventive antibiotics are among measures that may be used following potential exposure to a dangerous pathogen.

Russian authorities have maintained that the situation is under control and have not confirmed that Shipilova died from plague. (Newswire)

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