Russian lab worker dies of suspected plague infection after exposure to broken test tube
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A researcher at a Russian plague laboratory has died after she is believed to have been exposed to the virus.
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Darya Shipilova, an employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, was collecting samples when she accidentally broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen, according to 1news.az .
The 28-year-old was taken to Shelekhov District Hospital on Sept. 29, and died on Oct. 2 from severe pneumonia of “undetermined etiology,” Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev said Monday, citing Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s public health agency.
‘Full range of anti-epidemic measures’
Kobzev downplayed the incident on Telegram, stating that following tests, the agency found “no microorganisms linked to the young woman’s professional work were found in her biological samples,” according to the translation.
That said, Kobzev confirmed that the health agency “is carrying out a full range of anti-epidemic measures.”
He said that all identified contacts had been placed under medical observation and that none of those exposed were showing signs of illness, noting that their “laboratory test results are negative.”
Several hospitals in the city of Irkutsk had closed for a three-week quarantine after at least 197 people were suspected of having direct or indirect contact with Shipilova, 1news.az reported.
According to the outlet, 189 were hospitalized — 114 patients in one medical facility, 63 in another — while another 12 were sent to the anti-plague institute.
Local authorities have also implemented strict quarantine measures across the district, specifically at the Shelekhov District Hospital, a nearby maternity facility, and a local aluminum plant, the outlet reported.
‘Under our control’
Kobzev urged residents to remain calm, noting the sanitary-epidemiological situation in Irkutsk was “stable” and “the situation remains under our control and that of the experts.”
Former Rospotrebnadzor head, Gennady Onishchenko, also downplayed the threat to state news agency TASS, explaining that the infection in the Irkutsk region is “most likely not the plague, but even if confirmed, there will be no spread of this disease.”
He added that widespread transmission remains unlikely, noting that cooler seasonal temperatures would help contain potential spread.
What is the plague?
The facility specializes in dangerous pathogens, drawing speculation that Shipilova was exposed to pneumonic plague — one of three variants caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium — which attacks the lungs directly and can easily spread between humans through airborne respiratory droplets.
Bubonic and septicemic plagues, on the other hand, generally pass to humans via flea bites or contact with infected animals.
Russian law enforcement agencies have opened a criminal investigation into potential workplace health and safety violations that may have resulted in Shipilova’s death.
—With files from AFP