Russian authorities have placed around 200 people under quarantine in Siberia following the death of a laboratory worker at a research institute, amid concerns that she may have been exposed to pneumonic plague.
The 28-year-old woman, identified by Russian media as Darya Shipilova, was employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
Reports cited by Al Jazeera said Shipilova fell ill while at work on September 30 and died two days later at a hospital in Shelekhov. Some Russian media outlets reported that she may have been exposed to a pathogen after a test tube-related accident, although officials have not confirmed such an incident.
Around 200 people who had contact with the researcher have reportedly been quarantined, while sections of the hospital where she died were isolated. Employees at a nearby aluminium plant were also instructed to wear masks as a precaution.
However, Russian authorities said laboratory testing had found no indication that Shipilova’s illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with at the institute.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said the researcher died from pneumonia of unknown aetiology and confirmed that no new illnesses had been detected among employees of the Anti-Plague Institute in recent days.
Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said two COVID-19 infections and two rhinovirus cases had been identified among people who had been in contact with Shipilova. No other infectious diseases were detected, according to the agency.
The case has attracted international attention because pneumonic plague is a serious form of plague that can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets during close contact.
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It occurs naturally in several regions of the world, including parts of Siberia. Bubonic plague is the most common form, while pneumonic and septicaemic forms are less frequent but can become life-threatening without prompt treatment.
Medical experts say plague can be successfully treated with antibiotics when detected at an early stage.
US officials have said they are monitoring developments, while Russian authorities have urged the public to depend on verified official information and avoid speculation.
Experts have also stressed that information about the incident remains limited, with quarantine, health monitoring and preventive treatment among measures that can be considered following possible exposure to a serious infectious pathogen.
Russian authorities have maintained that the situation remains under control and have not confirmed that Shipilova’s death was caused by plague.
