Russian officials say ‘situation under control’ after plague reports
Moscow: Russian officials on Monday downplayed reports that a laboratory technician in Siberia had died of plague, insisting the situation was under control and that post-mortem tests had not found traces of the disease. Reports on Friday that a 28-year-old woman named Darya Shipilova, who had been working for the anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, had died of plague sparked…
Moscow officials have downplayed reports of a laboratory technician's death from plague in Siberia, stating that the situation is under control. The death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the anti-plague institute in Irkutsk region, initially raised concerns. Reports suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube.
However, Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev revealed that a special commission found her death was due to "pneumonia of undetermined etiology". Tests by Russia's consumer and health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed no traces of plague-linked microorganisms in her biological samples. Kobzev assured that there were no new cases of staff from the institute falling ill since the woman's death, declaring the sanitary-epidemiological situation in Irkutsk stable.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged reliance on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor rather than rumors and speculation. Plague is a bacterial disease with several forms, with pneumonic plague being the most contagious and potentially fatal if not treated early.
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