Reports of a plague outbreak in Russia followed the mysterious death of a young worker at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia, raising concern inside and outside the country.
The case involves a 28-year-old worker, Daria Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia. It is said that she had developed severe pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital on 29 September.
Since then nearly 200 people have been identified who may have come into contact with her and hospitals have introduced instructions. More than 60 employees of the institute have been reported to have been kept in isolation.
The biggest question is whether Shipilova was actually infected with plague while working at the institute or not. Some local reports claimed that she accidentally broke a test tube containing bacteria that caused pneumonic plague on September 25.
This has been spread widely in Russian and international media but the Russian health authorities have not confirmed such an accident happening.
Russia’s public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, says its investigation found no recorded incident involving dangerous microorganisms at the institute.
What Happened to Daria Shipilova?
Daria Shipilova worked at a specialized institute that studied plague and other infectious diseases. According to RFE/RL she had been working at the institute before she suddenly became seriously ill and was admitted to the hospital in a town close to Irkutsk.
Reports say that she was suffering from severe pneumonia and her condition worsened and she died on October 2.
Some reports connect her illness with the broken test tube, while others say that she might have become infected during a work-related trip connected to Buryatia, a Russian republic near Mongolia.
Alexei Tsydenov, the head of Buryatia, said she had not entered the republic and there was no plague outbreak there. His initial comments about the case were later changed to say that the woman had “possibly died of plague”.
This means that the exact cause for her illness is still not clear.
Nearly 200 Contacts Identified
After Shipilova became ill, authorities began detecting people who may have had contact with her. And Russian media reported that 197 contacts were identified, of which 189 were placed under medical observation or hospital care.
Irkutsk Governor, Igor Kobzev, said the people being monitored were not showing symptoms of the suspected dangerous infection and their initial laboratory tests were negative.
Later testing found that two people among the contacts were positive for COVID-19 and another two had rhinovirus, which commonly causes cold-like illness. These findings were not evidence of a plague outbreak. No confirmed plague infection has been reported among Shipilova’s contacts.
Precautions were also introduced at medical facilities. The hospital in Shelekhov where Shipilova was treated stopped admitting and discharging patients, although its outpatient clinic remained open. Several hospitals in Irkutsk also introduced quarantine restrictions.
More than 60 employees of the anti-plague institute were also reportedly isolated inside the facility. RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities reported that some employees remained inside the building while authorities carried out health checks.
What Are Russian Authorities Saying About the Suspected Plague Case?
Russia’s official account is different from some of the early media reports.
Rospotrebnadzor said Shipilova was diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown aetiology.” It said expanded testing of samples did not find microorganisms connected to her professional work. The agency also said there had been no recorded emergency involving pathogenic microorganisms at the institute.
The Russian Public Health Agency also mentioned that there were zero institutes that had demanded medical help for an infectious disease in the past 10 days. At the same time, they continued their anti-epidemic measures and medical monitoring.
Anna Popova, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, travelled to Irkutsk and met regional officials as the investigation continued.
The Kremlin has also asked people to rely on information from Rospotrebnadzor rather than rumours. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the public should follow official information from the health agency.
Plague Outbreak in Russia: Why Is It Being Discussed?
The concern is mainly because of Shipilova’s workplace and reports that her illness may have involved pneumonic plague.
Plague is an infectious disease which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. People can become infected through infected flea bites, contact with infected material or, in the case of pneumonic plague, by breathing in infectious respiratory particles.
The WHO says that untreated pneumonic plague can become fatal very fast. However, antibiotics are effective when the disease is identified and treated early.
Russia’s last confirmed plague outbreak case was reported in 2016 in the Altai Republic, close to Mongolia. A 10-year-old boy became infected after contact with a marmot killed during hunting. He survived after receiving treatment.
International Authorities Are Also Watching
The case has now attracted attention outside Russia. U.S. officials have said they are monitoring the situation and have asked Russian authorities to provide clear information as more details become available. A U.S. official said that many details surrounding the case had still not been confirmed.
The main questions are still unanswered: what exactly caused Shipilova’s pneumonia, whether she was exposed to Yersinia pestis, and whether any laboratory accident actually occurred.
For now, there is no official confirmation of a plague outbreak in Russia and no confirmed evidence that plague bacteria escaped from the Irkutsk institute. Russian authorities say testing has not linked Shipilova’s illness to the pathogens she worked with, while precautionary measures and monitoring remain in place.
The case will become clearer only when investigators establish the exact cause of her illness and death and release further laboratory results.
