A worker's death in Siberia
Health officials in Russia say a 28-year-old laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East has died of pneumonia of an undetermined cause, setting off questions about whether the disease was plague. Russian media named the woman as Darya Shipilova. She was hospitalized last Tuesday with symptoms of severe pneumonia and died on Thursday, state media reported.
The institute was founded in 1934 to control plague outbreaks. Its founding scientist helped stop outbreaks in Siberia, Mongolia and China, according to its website. It later worked with other dangerous diseases, including cholera and anthrax.
Quarantine and tests
Authorities quarantined dozens of people who had come into contact with the worker while they were tested. The head of Russia's health watchdog flew to the Irkutsk region. Regional governor Igor Kobzev said she died of "pneumonia of unknown aetiology" and that no new staff from the institute had sought medical help in recent days. He said all known contacts had been identified, examined and placed under medical supervision.
Russia's consumer and health watchdog said plague had not been detected among close contacts, with about 60 percent of the identified group tested so far. The World Health Organization said Russia told it there were no plague cases in the city of Irkutsk. Reuters could not establish whether that meant plague had been ruled out in the worker's case.
Concern outside Russia
US officials pressed Moscow for more information. A State Department spokesperson said there had been reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague, and that Washington was monitoring the situation with the CDC. President Donald Trump called the death a "big problem for Russia" and offered American help. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russia should share more details but added that he did not see cause for alarm.
Plague is a bacterial infection that can take several forms, including bubonic and pneumonic. Pneumonic plague can spread between people through droplets, which is why contacts were watched. Russia has not confirmed plague as the cause, and officials say the situation is under control.