A mysterious death at one of Russia’s leading plague research institutes has triggered fears of a possible pneumonic plague case in Siberia, with around 200 people placed under medical observation and several hospitals imposing quarantine measures.
The woman, identified by several media outlets as 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova, worked at the Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk.
She was hospitalised on September 29 and died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia, according to Reuters, The Guardian and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
But whether she actually contracted plague remains unconfirmed.
Russia's public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said the woman had been diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” according to state news agency TASS. Expanded testing found no microorganisms associated with her professional activities, the agency said.
Rospotrebnadzor also said it had found no evidence of an accident involving pathogenic microorganisms at the institute and described the epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and nearby Shelekhov as stable.
The Kremlin has sought to play down speculation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged Russians to rely on information from Rospotrebnadzor rather than “rumours or speculation,” Anadolu Agency reported.
The precautions on the ground, however, have been extensive.
Reuters reported that around 200 people were being monitored following Shipilova's death, while sections of the hospital in Shelekhov where she died were cordoned off.
Associated Press reported that the hospital had stopped admitting or discharging patients, while its laboratory suspended routine testing. Everyone known to have come into contact with Shipilova was placed under medical supervision.
Independent Russian outlet People of Baikal, cited by Meduza, reported that several hospitals in Irkutsk had imposed three-week quarantines. It said 197 people had been quarantined by October 2, citing Izvestia.
More than 60 employees of the anti-plague institute were also isolated following Shipilova's death, sources told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The Irkutsk Aluminum Plant in Shelekhov meanwhile introduced mandatory mask-wearing as a precaution, according to Associated Press and Euronews.
Rumours of a laboratory accident have circulated widely in Russian and international media.
Some reports claimed Shipilova accidentally broke a test tube containing plague bacteria while working. Russian authorities have not confirmed that account and Rospotrebnadzor has explicitly said it found no evidence of an incident involving pathogenic microorganisms.
Adding to the confusion, Alexey Tsydenov, head of neighbouring Buryatia, initially wrote that a woman had “died of plague” in the Irkutsk region before editing the statement to say she had “possibly” died of the disease, The Guardianreported.
Al Jazeera reported that the United States was closely monitoring the case, with the State Department coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies. Washington has urged Russian authorities to release accurate information quickly and transparently.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington did not believe there was currently cause for alarm but was following the situation closely, according to Associated Press.
The World Health Organization has assessed the wider public-health risk as low while investigations continue, Reutersreported. No new plague infections have been confirmed among the woman's contacts.
Pneumonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Unlike the more common bubonic form, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets.
It can be treated with antibiotics if detected quickly but can progress rapidly and become fatal without prompt treatment.
For now, the central question remains unanswered: a young employee of a laboratory specialising in some of the world's most dangerous pathogens died from an unexplained pneumonia, but Russian authorities say there is no evidence that plague — or any microorganism connected to her work — caused her death.