In Russia’s Siberia, the death of a young researcher, identified as Darya Shipilova, at Irkutsk Anti Plague Research Institute has rung alarm bells across the world.
Reportedly, the 28-year old lab worker died on October 2, after mistakenly coming in contact with live bacteria from a broken test tube. Initially admitted on September 29, the lab worker succumbed to severe pneumonia, after which approximately 200 contacts of hers are placed under quarantine or medical observation.
Additionally, 5 hospitals have been sealed and public events stand cancelled in the Irkutsk region.
What Did Russia Say?
Russian authorities have not officially declared that Shipilova died due to pneumonic plague. Instead, the authorities have called her disease as a pneumonia of “unknown aetiology”, which means a pneumonia of unknown/undetermined origin.
Furthermore, Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor stated that, “the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov is stable,” thereby denying any connection with a plague lab accident.
What Is Pneumonic Plague?
As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection primarily spread through respiratory droplets from infected animals or people.
The symptoms appear after 1 to 5 days of infection and if left untreated, the disease is nearly 100% fatal.
America’s Response:
The CDC informed on X that it is “closely monitoring reports of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region of Russia that resulted in a death.”
The US health agency also stated that it is actively operating with the US administration “to assess developments as additional information becomes available.”
President Donald Trump called the pneumonic plague “a rough disease” and a “big problem”.
Further, he informed the media of a potential phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the suspected pneumonic plague incident and the resulting global health concerns.
Directions from WHO:
The World Health Organisation issued a statement, wherein it confirmed that it is keeping track of the suspected pneumonic plague death at Siberia.
However, WHO has directed Russian health authorities for transparency and has sought more information on the reasons behind severe pneumonia.
The official statement reads, “Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.”
