Russia’s public health agency denied on Tuesday 6 October that an enhanced sanitary and epidemiological regime or stringent restrictions had been imposed in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, following reports linking the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker at a plague-control institute to infection with the disease. The agency said the sanitary and epidemiological situation was stable in the region, as well as in the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov.
The regional public health agency said in a statement posted on Telegram that what it called false information was circulating online about the introduction of an enhanced sanitary and epidemiological regime and the imposition of strict restrictions in Irkutsk. It added that no such decision had been taken at that time, directly denying reports of exceptional precautionary measures.
Restrictions denied after laboratory worker’s death
The denial came after reports published on Friday caused concern over the death of Daria Shipilova, an employee at a plague-control institute in the Irkutsk region. The reports claimed that she had died after contracting plague, raising questions about the possible transmission of the infection or a link between her death and the nature of her work in the laboratory.
The People of Baikal news website quoted unnamed sources it described as close to the region’s security agencies as saying that Shipilova may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke. That account remains attributed to the sources cited by the website, while Russian authorities played down concerns about an outbreak of infection.
Irkutsk investigation rules out plague as cause of death
Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev said on Monday that a special committee including experts had investigated the incident and concluded that the employee’s cause of death was «pneumonia of unknown origin». He said the investigation’s findings did not support the account linking the death to plague or to exposure to factors associated with her professional work.
Kobzev said in a post on Telegram that the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, «Rospotrebnadzor», had tested biological samples taken from the young woman. According to the governor’s account of the agency’s findings, no microorganisms connected to Shipilova’s professional work at the plague-control institute were found in the samples.
The governor said that no new cases had been recorded among institute staff since the employee’s death that required them to seek medical care. He reaffirmed that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk was stable, saying it remained under the control of the regional authorities and specialist experts. Plague is a bacterial disease that can occur in several forms, including pneumonic plague, which is the most transmissible form.
World Health Organisation lowers assessment of infection risk
According to the World Health Organisation, this form can be fatal if not treated at an early stage. On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation announced the findings of an initial assessment of the risks linked to the incident, classifying the risk level as «low» for Russia and «very low» for Europe.
The organisation’s assessment came as Russian authorities reiterated that there were no signs of the infection spreading in the region. Attention to the case also extended to the United States, where US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his country was taking the matter seriously. He added that the United States would help the Russian authorities as much as it could.
Russia’s public health agency responded on Tuesday that Moscow was also ready to help Washington control outbreaks of infectious diseases in the United States. The agency specifically referred to recent cases of such diseases, including measles and a fatal case of plague.
Irkutsk conference to discuss co-operation against infectious diseases
It was announced in June that a conference would be held in Irkutsk on 21 and 22 October on plague and other infectious diseases, with experts from several former Soviet republics taking part.
The conference is expected to focus on epidemiological surveillance, international co-operation and health protection, although its detailed programme had not yet been announced.
