Russia claims no plague after laboratory worker's death
Russian authorities announced the completion of quarantine measures in the Irkutsk region after the death of an employee of the anti-plague institute. According to officials, nearly 5,000 laboratory tests did not detect dangerous pathogens. At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to demand additional information, as the exact cause of the woman's death has still not been established.
The governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, reported the results of the inspection on October 8.
According to him, Rospotrebnadzor completed the complex of preventive measures introduced after the death of a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Scientific Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
In total, specialists conducted about 5,000 laboratory tests, which, according to official data, did not detect dangerous pathogenic microorganisms. Medical surveillance of all people who had contact with the deceased has also been completed.
Russian officials claim that no diseases associated with dangerous infections were found among contact persons. The sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and neighboring Shelekhov is called stable.
According to Kobzev, the inspection did not reveal any emergency situations during work with pathogenic microorganisms at the institute. He also stated that the deceased employee was vaccinated against dangerous infections with which she worked.
Russian authorities insist on the diagnosis of "community-acquired pneumonia." However, the specific pathogen of the disease that led to the woman's death has not been publicly established.
At the same time, Rospotrebnadzor separately denied reports of a possible second case of illness among laboratory staff.
The worker's death caused international concern
The story began in early October, when the death of 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, became known.
According to the independent Russian outlet "People of Baikal," the woman was hospitalized on September 29 after feeling unwell. She died in the hospital in Shelekhov on the night of October 2.
Soon a version appeared that the employee could have become infected with the pneumonic form of plague as a result of a laboratory incident. In particular, reports were spread about an allegedly broken test tube with an infectious agent.
These assumptions were not independently confirmed. Colleagues of the deceased also expressed doubts about such a scenario, citing strict biosafety rules at the institution.
At the same time, the scale of the anti-epidemic measures introduced by the Russian authorities raised questions. Quarantine restrictions were introduced at the Shelekhov hospital and the anti-plague institute, disinfection was carried out, and approximately 200 people who had contact with the deceased were isolated and tested.
At the beginning of the inspection, Russian officials reported suspicion of a particularly dangerous infection, but did not explain which pathogen caused the disease.
WHO has not received full information from Russia
The World Health Organization contacted Russian authorities for clarification as early as October 3 in accordance with the International Health Regulations.
At a briefing on October 7, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Russia denies the registration of plague cases in the Irkutsk region and confirms the isolation of about 200 contact persons.
However, organization representatives noted that the data received is insufficient for a final conclusion.
WHO requested detailed results of laboratory tests of the deceased woman and contact persons, explanations for the reasons for the large-scale anti-epidemic measures, and information on the health status of people under observation.
In addition, international experts asked to verify information about another institute employee who allegedly was diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin. Russian officials later denied these reports.
WHO stressed that without complete information it is impossible to conduct a final assessment of public health risks. The organization also offered Russia technical assistance in the field of plague diagnostics and laboratory biosafety.
Is there a threat of plague spread
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported on October 6 that it is closely monitoring the situation in Russia.
According to European experts, based on available information, there were no confirmed cases of secondary infection or signs of sustained human-to-human transmission. This indicates a lack of evidence of wider spread of the disease.
ECDC also recalled that pneumonic plague is a severe infectious disease, but with timely treatment with modern antibiotics it can be cured.
The causative agent of plague is the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The disease is usually transmitted from animals through bites of infected fleas, but the pneumonic form can spread between people through droplets released during coughing.
According to WHO, without timely treatment, pneumonic plague can quickly lead to death. At the same time, effective antibiotics can stop the infection at early stages.
European epidemiologists note that transmission of pneumonic plague between people usually requires close and prolonged contact with a patient who already has symptoms.
Thus, there are currently no confirmed data on an outbreak of plague in Russia. However, the official end of quarantine and negative test results of contact persons do not provide a definitive answer to the question of the cause of death of the laboratory worker.
Based on materials from: "People of Baikal", World Health Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
