White House monitoring possible plague outbreak in Russia - Axios

The US presidential administration is monitoring the situation in Russia's Irkutsk region, where a quarantine has been imposed and about 200 people have been placed under medical supervision after the death of an employee of a plague research institute. Russian authorities have not officially confirmed that the woman was infected with plague.

According to Axios, citing an official in the administration of Donald Trump, the White House is aware of the situation, tracking its development, and assessing possible next steps.

The case involves a 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, who worked at the plague research institute in the Irkutsk region. According to Russian reports, on September 25 she broke a vial containing the pathogen of pneumonic plague while working.

On September 29, the woman was hospitalized with severe pneumonia. She died overnight on October 2. After that, several medical facilities in the region were quarantined, and people who may have had contact with her were placed under medical observation.

Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said that as of the time of the check, none of the contacts showed symptoms, and laboratory tests were negative. Russian media reported a possible pneumonic form of plague, but Russian health authorities have not confirmed the diagnosis. Officially, the cause of illness was described as pneumonia of unspecified origin.

Thus, there is currently no confirmation of a plague outbreak or transmission of the infection to others. The restrictions imposed in the region are precautionary while the circumstances of the institute employee's death are investigated.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The disease can be life-threatening, but is treatable with timely antibiotic therapy. The pneumonic form is particularly dangerous due to the possibility of person-to-person transmission through close contact.

Source: Axios, The Moscow Times, CDC