The death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia has triggered quarantine measures and fears of a possible outbreak.
But has plague actually been detected? So far, Russian health authorities say no.
The employee, identified by local media as Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. She died on October 2 after developing what authorities described as pneumonia of unknown origin.
Her death prompted authorities to monitor people who had been in contact with her, quarantine parts of a hospital and introduce precautionary measures in the region.
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The case has attracted international attention after unconfirmed reports suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague.
Here is what is known so far.
Did the laboratory worker die from plague?
There is currently no official confirmation that she did. Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said extensive testing did not detect microorganisms connected to Shipilova’s professional work.
Authorities have also said there was no recorded accident involving dangerous pathogens at the institute.
This contradicts unverified reports circulating online that suggested she had become infected after a laboratory accident involving plague bacteria.
Officials have urged the public to rely on confirmed information while investigations continue.
Why were people quarantined?
Authorities introduced precautionary measures because Shipilova worked at a specialised institute handling dangerous infectious diseases and because the cause of her pneumonia remains unclear.
Around 200 people who had been in contact with her were reportedly placed under medical observation, while more than 60 employees of the institute were reported to have been isolated inside the facility.
Parts of the hospital in Shelekhov where she died were also placed under quarantine.
Among people who had been in contact with her, authorities reported two Covid-19 infections and two rhinovirus infections. No additional dangerous infectious disease cases were reported.
What is pneumonic plague?
The plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. There are several forms of the disease, including bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic plague.
Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can spread between people through infectious respiratory droplets when there is close contact.
It can be severe and potentially fatal, but modern antibiotics can successfully treat plague when it is identified early. Plague has not disappeared. The bacterium continues to circulate naturally among some wild rodents and their fleas in parts of the world, including Siberia.
Human infections, however, are rare in Russia.
Is there a risk of an outbreak?
Based on currently available information, health authorities have not reported an outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the public health risk to the general population appears to be low, although it said further assessments could be carried out as more information becomes available.
Russian officials also say the epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region remains stable and that known contacts have been identified and placed under medical supervision.
The head of Russia’s health watchdog, Anna Popova, travelled to the region for an emergency meeting following the death. Authorities say no new cases have been identified among employees of the anti-plague institute.
Why has the case attracted so much attention?
The combination of an unexplained death, the woman’s workplace and the scale of precautionary measures has fuelled speculation.
Several hospitals introduced restrictions, employees were isolated and some public events were reportedly cancelled.
The United States has also said it is monitoring the situation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no reason for alarm based on the information currently available, but said the situation should continue to be watched closely.
For now, the central question remains unanswered: what caused the laboratory worker’s fatal pneumonia? Until testing and investigations provide a definitive answer, health authorities say there is no confirmed plague outbreak and the risk to the wider public remains low.
Source: Khaleej Times