Russia denies plague measures after lab worker's death: WHO says 'low' risk — What we know so far

Russian authorities have denied reports that they have introduced special anti-plague measures after a laboratory worker in the Siberian region of Irkutsk died of pneumonia, amid reports that she may have contracted the pneumonic plague.

The case has attracted international attention and the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the risk to public health is currently low for Russia and very low for the rest of Europe. Nevertheless, the UN Health Agency is monitoring the situation and trying to verify the circumstances of the woman’s death and the results of laboratory tests.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called on Moscow to be more transparent in the case.

What happened to the Russian lab technician?

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A 28-year-old laboratory worker, identified as Darja Šipilová, died of severe pneumonia. Although there are fears of a possible pneumonic plague infection, Russian authorities have not confirmed any connection to the plague.

Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has rejected claims of plague measures, saying the measures taken are general public health measures and not specific to plague as no cases have been confirmed.

Authorities conducted contact tracing, placed those who had been in contact with the woman under medical supervision, and conducted laboratory tests that found no pathogens associated with infectious diseases.

WHO is monitoring the situation due to the woman’s connection to a plague study facility and the low but worrisome risk of pneumonic plague, ensuring the health status of contacts and evaluating possible public health implications.

Pneumonic plague is a severe and contagious form of plague that affects the lungs, and although this case was suspected, Russian authorities have only confirmed that the woman died of pneumonia of unknown cause, with no signs of plague found.

The 28-year-old woman, identified by Russian media as Darya Šipilova, reportedly worked at the Irkutsk Research Institute against Plague in Siberia and the Far East, a facility that studies dangerous pathogens, including the plague.

She died last week in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk.

Reports from the Russian news site People of Baikal said she may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube burst in a laboratory.

However, Russian authorities have not confirmed that she had the plague.

Irkutsk Oblast Governor Igor Kobzev said a Rospotrebnadzor inspection found the woman died of pneumonia, with the exact cause remaining unknown.

“No microorganisms associated with the young woman’s professional work were found in her biological samples,” Kobzev said.

Has Russia implemented anti-plague measures?

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s health watchdog, rejected claims circulating online that special anti-plague measures had been put in place.

“We want to clarify that the document and information in question do not come from official sources and are false,” the agency said in Telegram.

At the same time, Russian authorities said they had implemented a range of public health precautions, including contact tracing, medical surveillance and laboratory tests.

The apparent contradiction centers on whether these measures constituted specific “anti-plague” restrictions. Authorities stressed that no case of the plague had been confirmed.

Rospotrebnadzor said that people who were in contact with the woman were identified and placed under medical supervision with laboratory tests carried out.

The results reportedly revealed two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection, but no pathogens associated with other dangerous infectious diseases.

Local authorities said about 60% of people placed in precautionary quarantine had been released, while Russian media had previously reported that up to 200 people may have been affected by the precautionary measures.

What does the WHO say?

The WHO said it had been in contact with Russian authorities and was assessing the situation.

According to information provided by Russia, no cases of plague have been recorded in Irkutsk.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the agency’s initial assessment called the risk moderate to low for Irkutsk, low for Russia as a whole and very low for the WHO European region.

He emphasized that the assessment was based on currently available information and that WHO continues to seek verification of the reported event and laboratory results.

“There’s no indication right now that we’re dealing with anything like a pandemic,” Lindmeier told the Associated Press.

The WHO said Russian authorities had identified the deceased woman’s contacts and conducted medical surveillance and laboratory tests. Tests reportedly found no dangerous infectious disease pathogens among these contacts.

Why did the case cause concern?

The woman’s death is particularly sensitive because she worked at a facility that studies plague and other dangerous pathogens in an area where plague occurs naturally among wild animals.

News of a possible laboratory infection has also revived memories of the COVID-19 pandemic and the debate about its origins.

The WHO has not proven that the coronavirus emerged in a laboratory, and Lindmeier emphasized that there is currently no indication that the Russian incident represents anything comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two situations are also significantly different, because in the Russian case the plague infection was not officially confirmed.

Read also | The White House is monitoring a suspected plague case in Russia

What is pneumonic plague?

Plague is a bacterial disease caused by Yersinia pestis. It can occur in several forms, including bubonic and pneumonic plague.

Bubonic plague is generally associated with an infected flea bite, while pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can spread between humans through respiratory particles.

Pneumonic plague is considered the most severe and contagious form of the plague. Symptoms may include fever, shortness of breath and cough, sometimes accompanied by coughing up blood.

The WHO says the disease can be fatal if left untreated, but outcomes are much better when diagnosed and treated quickly.

According to the WHO, the incubation period of pneumonic plague can be up to 24 hours.

Why is the US asking Russia for transparency?

Washington is following the case closely.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was concerned about the situation and that the United States was willing to help Russia if needed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that offers of mutual assistance were welcome, but referred questions about the case to Rospotrebnadzor.

Rubio subsequently called on Moscow to provide more information.

“Maybe there’s nothing there. Maybe it’s bigger than we thought. We don’t know,” Rubio said during a news conference in Iceland.

He said Russia should be more transparent and share more information with the international community, noting that the information available so far has been limited.

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