'Pneumonic plague' leak? Lab worker’s death from 'unknown pneumonia' triggers quarantines in Siberia
IRKUTSK, Russia: A 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia has died of “pneumonia of an unknown cause,” prompting localised quarantines and medical observation for nearly 200 contacts, Russian health authorities said. The patient, identified as Daria Shipilova, was hospitalised with severe pneumonia symptoms on September 29 and died between…
A 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia has died of pneumonia of an unknown cause, leading to quarantines and medical observation for nearly 200 contacts. The patient, Daria Shipilova, was hospitalized with severe pneumonia symptoms on September 29 and died between October 1 and October 2.
While unconfirmed media reports and local sources suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague after a possible accident with a test tube in the lab, Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, stated that the official cause of death was pneumonia of unknown etiology and that expanded testing had not detected microorganisms linked to her laboratory work.
Authorities placed the hospital section under strict quarantine and ordered medical observation for the contacts, but no secondary cases have been confirmed. International health experts noted that while any death in a high-containment lab warrants scrutiny, the immediate public health risk appears low given the lack of confirmed secondary cases and negative tests among contacts.
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