Everything We Know About Anti-Plague Lab At Center of Russia Outbreak Fears

International health groups are closely monitoring a suspected plague outbreak in Russia's Irkutsk region, with attention focused on the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East. A 28-year-old laboratory technician, Darya Shipilova, died two days after falling ill, and Russian reports linked her death to a potential workplace incident at the infectious diseases facility.

The governor of neighboring Buryatia said a woman had possibly died from plague. Russian authorities have implemented full range of anti-epidemic measures to deal with the suspected case of a regional resident with a highly dangerous infection. However, concerns have grown over Russia's lack of transparency, with unconfirmed claims of a second person developing pneumonia.

The Kremlin asserts it has provided sufficient information, while Russian officials describe the woman's death as pneumonia-related, not specifically pneumonic plague. As days pass, doubts persist about Russia's transparency. The WHO has stated there is a moderate to low risk for Irkutsk residents, and a very low risk for people outside the country.

Plague can be transmitted through infected fleas, contact with infected animals or particles, or inhalation of the Yersinia pestis bacterium. The disease is treatable with antibiotics if detected early. The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, established in 1934 by Soviet epidemiologist Skorodumov Aleksey Mikhaylovich, studies dangerous pathogens, including plague, in a part of Siberia where the disease naturally occurs.