Plague has not been detected among close contacts of a plague laboratory worker in Siberia who died last week, with 60% of the identified group having been tested so far, Russian officials said Tuesday.
The announcement on Sunday by Russia’s consumer and health watchdog that an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia and the Far East had died last week of “pneumonia of undetermined origin” has sparked public health fears around the world.
“Laboratory tests identified two cases of Covid-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection,” watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement, referring to the virus that causes the common cold. “No other infectious disease pathogens were detected among the contacts,” the statement said, without mentioning the word “plague.”
Darya Shipilova, 28, was identified by her mother and Russian media as the deceased laboratory worker.
Russian regional and national authorities have not confirmed that the plague was a factor in his death. However, a State Department spokesperson said Monday that there had been “reports of a suspected fatal case of pneumonic plague” in Irkutsk Oblast.
Separately, a State Department official told NBC News on Tuesday that the United States had been in contact with the Russian government as early as Friday. Health experts from the State Department took part in the contacts with the Russian Foreign Ministry, the official said.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention also said on
“At this time, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States, but the CDC and our interagency partners are prepared and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the statement added.
The World Health Organization, which oversees global public health issues, said Tuesday that Russian health officials had informed the agency, in response to its inquiry about the lab worker’s death, that no cases of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk.
“According to authorities, the woman’s illness initially presented as a typical acute respiratory viral infection,” the statement said.
No cases of plague or other highly dangerous pathogens were reportedly detected among the woman’s close contacts, WHO said, citing Russian officials’ response, adding that it was awaiting confirmation from the Russian side on “which pneumonia-causing pathogen led to the death of the individual.”
On Friday, Maksim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhov municipal district near the border with Mongolia, said the hospital care facility where the worker was reportedly treated had been closed for quarantine. Russian media quoted officials as saying that nearly 200 people who had contact with the woman had been placed under precautionary medical observation.
Russian media identified the woman as 28 years old. Those details were not announced by officials.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobsev said Monday that no “microorganisms related to the employee’s professional activities were detected” in her body.
The Irkutsk regional branch of Rospotrebnadzor on Tuesday denied what it called “false” reports circulating online that a “strengthened sanitary and epidemiological regime” and strict restrictions had been imposed in the region.
“No such decision has been taken at this time,” the statement said, asserting that the situation in the region remained stable.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that while travel between the United States and Russia is “very limited,” if “something like this comes to light, it could quickly spread.”
Rospotrebnadzor, the health watchdog, said Tuesday its investigation found “no incidents involving the handling of pathogenic microorganisms.”
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that the United States will do everything it can to help Russia.
“I hate to see them suffer,” Trump said. “It’s a serious illness.”
At the same time, some of Russia’s neighbors have strengthened preventive measures and quarantine controls at border crossings.
The Kremlin called on those affected to heed official statements.
“Rospotrebnadzor provides comprehensive information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when pressed by journalists about the rumors spreading amid scattered official statements.
Peskov also deferred to Rospotrebnadzor when asked whether the worker’s laboratory results would be released or whether an autopsy had been performed.
On its website, the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East says it was founded in 1934 “as a scientific and operational body for combating plague,” but over the years its scope of responsibility has expanded to include “other very dangerous diseases,” including cholera and anthrax.
The institute says it is a “multidisciplinary, anti-epidemic research center” that helps ensure epidemic safety in the region.
Gn headline
