First Death of Plague in Russia in 50 Years
The deceased woman was an employee of an anti-plague research institute. Do these institutes pose a danger, and is Russia now facing an epidemic?
On October 2, a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Irkutsk, Russia, named Daria Shipilova passed away at a nearby hospital. The cause of her death was speculated to be from the plague, a disease caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis. Shipilova was believed to have contracted the infection after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen at a research institute.
However, Russian authorities disputed this, claiming she had died from pneumonia. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern over the potential outbreak and stated they were monitoring the situation.
The incident sparked discussions at the White House, with the US government requesting more information about the situation. Former CIA officer Dan Hoffman even drew comparisons to the Chernobyl disaster. Investigations revealed that Shipilova had concealed the fact that she had broken the test tube and did not isolate herself, potentially exposing hundreds of people to the disease. The hospital was subsequently placed under quarantine following her death.
The plague, though not eradicated, is not commonly found in Russia. It primarily exists in at least 13 regions of the country, particularly in border areas near neighboring countries. There are three forms of the plague: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicaemic. The pneumonic form is the most dangerous and can be transmitted through airborne droplets.
However, human-to-human transmission is extremely rare, with no recorded cases in Russia in the past 35 years. Experts believe that the transmission chain required for a large-scale epidemic is missing in Russia.
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