A staff member at a Russian anti-plague laboratory passed away from an unidentified illness last week, prompting a quarantine and mass observation on Monday.
The 28-year-old worker, identified as Darya Shipilova, reportedly died from a “pneumonia of undetermined” origin, according to Russian officials. She was a staff member of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Russian officials downplayed reports of a potential outbreak, saying no other illnesses have been reported among other employees so far and that no “microorganisms” associated with her studies were found in her system.
Despite this, the hospital where the worker was treated in the Shelekhov municipal district is now under lockdown and quarantine. Other nearby facilities are also under observation. Almost 200 people were in contact with her before she passed. All citizens are also being monitored for signs of the plague. So far, no one is showing symptoms, and all tests are negative. State news agency TASS claims, however, that several of these people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and rhinovirus.
The Russian consumer welfare service is investigating. The U.S. State Department is also currently monitoring the situation.
“We are aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners,” said a spokesperson from the department. “Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.”
The World Health Organization is aware of the situation and has deemed the “public health risk to the general population” as being low. Once more information is shared, it will complete another assessment to determine whether the risk level has changed.
The bacterium Yersinia pestis causes the plague. The bacterium was responsible for the “Black Death,” which took the lives of 50 million people in the span of a few years in the 1300s. Rates of the plague dramatically declined upon the
