IRKUTSK:A 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week after developing severe pneumonia of unknown origin, triggering a public health alert in the Irkutsk region.
The deceased has been identified in Russian media as Darya Shipilova. She was admitted to a hospital in Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk, on September 29 and died on Oct 1-2 after being placed on a ventilator. 975e
According to independent Russian media reports, the technician told doctors she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria on September 25 while working at the facility. Unverified reports linked it to _Yersinia pestis_, the bacterium that causes pneumonic plague. This link has not been confirmed by authorities. 89e3
Russian public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Sunday that the diagnosis was “pneumonia of unknown aetiology” and that extensive testing found “no microorganisms associated with the patient’s professional activities”. It also said no accident involving pathogenic microorganisms was recorded at the institute. 975e
Governor of Irkutsk Igor Kobzev said everyone who came into contact with the woman is under medical supervision and described it as a suspected case of “a particularly dangerous infection”. Around 200 contacts have been placed under medical observation. 975e6294
A hospital in Shelekhov has been placed under quarantine, no longer admitting or discharging patients. Head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova flew to Irkutsk for an emergency meeting. 975e
Russian authorities have said the sanitary and epidemiological situation remains stable and no new cases have been reported. The World Health Organization said based on available information, “the public health risk to the general population appears to be low”. 49e5
The US State Department said it is “monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners” and urged Russia to share accurate information quickly. 6a33
Meanwhile, some commentators on social media including Dhruv Rathee have urged precautionary flight bans. No official travel restrictions have been announced by any country so far.
Pneumonic plague, if confirmed, is the only form of plague that spreads person-to-person via respiratory droplets and can be fatal if not treated early with antibiotics, but it is curable when diagnosed quickly.