The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has stated that the US is actively monitoring the potential risk of a containment failure in Russia, where a 28-year-old laboratory worker, Darya Shipilova, died last week from a suspected pneumonic plague infection. Shipilova worked at a plague research institute in Siberia and became ill at work, dying two days later at a regional hospital in the nearby town of Shelekhov. Rubio emphasized that the US is watching the situation closely, but does not think it's cause for alarm.
Russian authorities have placed a hospital in quarantine and are monitoring nearly 200 people who may have come into contact with Shipilova. The Russian health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, reported that Shipilova died from "pneumonia of unknown aetiology" and that tests found no micro-organisms linked to her professional work. The organisation described the "sanitary and epidemiological" situation in the area as stable. However, conflicting messages from senior Russian officials have added to public disquiet.
Alexey Tsydenov, the head of the Buryatia region, initially wrote that Shipilova had died of plague before editing his post to say she had "possibly" died of the disease. The mayor of Shelekhov, Maksim Modin, confirmed that the inpatient department of a local hospital where Shipilova was treated had been closed for quarantine. People who had been in contact with her were placed under medical observation. The incident has raised concerns about the potential risk of a wider outbreak.
Pneumonic plague is the most severe form of plague and can spread from person to person through respiratory particles. The World Health Organisation states that it can become fatal within 18 to 24 hours if untreated, but early treatment with antibiotics is highly effective. Experts have described the incident as a rare laboratory accident and say it is unlikely to spread further.
The United States and European Union have said they are monitoring reports from the region. Russia's anti-plague institute conducts research into several infectious diseases, including plague, which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Human plague cases continue to occur in parts of the world but are generally treatable when diagnosed early.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev held an emergency meeting with Russia's chief sanitary physician over a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection. Officials in neighbouring Buryatia initially referred to Shipilova as having died from plague before changing the wording to say she had "possibly" died from the disease. Russian authorities have since sought to reassure the public, saying the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region remained stable.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public and media to rely on official information rather than rumours and speculation. Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, described the incident as a rare laboratory accident and said it was unlikely to spread further. The US and Russia have limited travel between them, but Rubio emphasized that a disease like plague can quickly spread if containment fails.
Key points
- The US is monitoring a suspected pneumonic plague infection in Russia.
- Nearly 200 people are under observation in Russia after coming into contact with the infected laboratory worker.
- Experts say the incident is a rare laboratory accident and unlikely to spread further.
