Scientist dies in Russia's Irkutsk region amid plague fears

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old researcher at an anti-plague research institute, has died in Russia’s Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia. In late September she accidentally broke a test tube containing live bacteria; on Tuesday she was hospitalised with severe pneumonia and put on a ventilator, and on Thursday she died.

Authorities deny plague outbreak

What exactly happened to the scientist remains unclear. Social media and Russian émigré outlets have reported that she died of plague, but Russian officials have not confirmed this version of events. According to them, the woman died of pneumonia of unknown origin, and the sanitary situation in the region remains stable.

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer protection and public health watchdog, said no incidents had been recorded at the institute involving work with pathogenic microorganisms. Additional tests on samples taken from the deceased woman, it said, also found no microorganisms linked to her work.

Conflicting statements from officials

The seriousness of the situation is underscored by the speed of the official response: Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova flew to Irkutsk in person and took part in an emergency meeting of the regional sanitary and epidemiological commission, chaired by regional governor Igor Kobzev. The governor explained that the commission had been convened over information suggesting a resident of the region may have contracted an “especially dangerous infection.”

Shortly afterwards, Rospotrebnadzor reiterated that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, the city of Irkutsk and the town of Shelekhov was stable, but added that the authorities were organising a “special set of measures.” Confusion was added by Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighbouring region of Buryatia, who wrote on social media that the woman had died of an unspecified form of plague, before amending the post to say she had “presumably died of plague.” Citing data from Rospotrebnadzor and the Buryatia government, Tsydenov also said the woman had never visited Buryatia and that her illness was not linked to the region: “Not a single focus of plague has been registered in the republic, including in areas bordering Mongolia.”

Quarantine and safety measures

Despite official assurances, the case has triggered large-scale precautionary measures. According to local media, several hospitals in Irkutsk have introduced a three-week quarantine, affecting clinics, a children’s hospital and, according to relatives of one new mother, a maternity hospital. Sources in the healthcare system cited by local journalists claim that Irkutsk doctors “are already openly talking about plague,” although no such diagnosis appears in official medical documents.

About 200 people who may have had contact with Shipilova have been placed under medical observation, according to independent outlets; none have shown signs of illness, Rospotrebnadzor said. In Shelekhov, where the woman died, residents reported seeing people in protective suits, masks and gloves. Masks were also handed out in kindergartens, local parents said, and since 3 October workers at the local aluminium plant have been required to wear them. The authorities are introducing “a comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures,” said Maxim Modin, head of the Shelekhov district administration.

What is known about the institute and the disease

According to the website of the institute where Shipilova worked, it employs around 95 researchers and is responsible for monitoring and preventing outbreaks of dangerous bacterial and viral infections in Siberia and Russia’s Far East. Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of the disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, and unlike the other forms, it spreads easily from person to person through airborne droplets.

The World Health Organization notes that plague has a high mortality rate but, if diagnosed in time, can be treated with antibiotics, and its spread can be contained with preventive measures. Symptoms include fever, headache and difficulty breathing. According to independent media, Russia has not recorded a single human case of plague since 2017.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz