Siberian Lab Worker's Death: What Is Known About the Suspected Plague Case

The death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia has set off global concern about possible pneumonic plague, even though Russian authorities say her illness was pneumonia of unknown origin and that no plague case has been registered in the region. The World Health Organization said Wednesday it does not yet have the full picture.

No secondary cases have been reported. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Oct. 6 that, based on limited information, there was no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.

What happened to the lab worker?

According to a state TV station in Irkutsk, cited by ABC News, the woman died Oct. 2 in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town just outside Irkutsk. The outlet Lyudi Baikala identified her as Darya Shipilova and reported that she was first hospitalized with cold symptoms on Sept. 29. She worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.

Local media had earlier reported that she dropped a test tube, DW noted. That account was contradicted by Russia's disease-control agency, Rospotrebnadzor, which said samples from her showed no microorganisms linked to her work.

What do Russian authorities say?

Rospotrebnadzor describes the diagnosis as pneumonia of unknown etiology and does not mention plague in its statements. It said Tuesday that the situation in the Irkutsk region was calm and that contacts had been tested, with two cases of COVID-19 and two of rhinovirus found, and no other pathogens.

Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev, however, said she died of a “particularly dangerous infection,” according to ABC News. Moscow told the WHO that no plague case had been registered in the region. ABC reported that state TV and other national state-controlled media have avoided the subject, and some state-sponsored outlets withdrew earlier reports.

What is the WHO asking for?

The WHO said it asked Russia to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures, and media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency cannot conduct a full risk assessment, NPR reported. The WHO said it has offered technical support.

What is pneumonic plague?

It is one of three forms of plague, all caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, according to DW. Bubonic plague, usually from a flea bite, rarely spreads between people. Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can pass through respiratory droplets. The WHO calls it the most virulent form, with an incubation period as short as 24 hours.

It is curable with standard antibiotics if treated quickly. DW reported the WHO's warning that without treatment it can kill within 18 to 24 hours of the first symptoms.

What does this mean for ordinary people?

Based on the sources, there is no evidence so far of spread beyond the contacts of the dead woman. Around 200 contacts were placed in quarantine or under observation, according to NPR and Axios, and two hospitals and a children's clinic were reportedly quarantined, per DW. ABC News reported that the hospital where she died has stopped admitting and discharging patients, though its outpatient clinic is operating.

Medical experts stress early diagnosis. Adelaide Miarinjara of Emory University told NPR that people can die if they do not seek treatment. For scale, NPR noted that Madagascar's 2017 outbreak produced more than 2,400 suspected cases, including nearly 1,900 of pneumonic plague.

What happens next?

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon and that the U.S. stands ready to help. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that no call had been scheduled but one could be arranged quickly. NPR has not independently confirmed the plague concerns raised by local media.

Sources: DW, ABC News, NPR