WHO to investigate reports of second plague case after death of Russian lab worker
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is investigating reports of a second possible pneumonic plague case in Siberia after the death of a laboratory worker who was allegedly exposed to the illness.
Global health officials are pushing Moscow for transparency following the death of 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov.
Shipilova was admitted to hospital late last month with acute respiratory failure and placed on a ventilator before passing away on 2 October.
Local media reported that she was exposed to a dangerous pathogen after accidentally shattering a sample tube during routine laboratory work.
But senior Russian epidemiologist Mikhail Favorov cast doubt on that account in comments to The Moscow Times earlier this week, pointing out that personnel at the institute operate in full protective suits.
“It’s laughable,” Favorov said. “If you break a test tube, the likelihood of infection is actually very low. In short, it doesn’t matter to the general public – they’ll believe the ‘broken test tube’ story.”
“It’s absolutely hair-raising,” he added. “We will not be told what really happened.”
Independent regional news outlet Lyudi Baikal reported that a second individual with symptoms of severe pulmonary distress had died at an Irkutsk regional medical facility. The report has not been independently verified.
At least 197 people identified as direct or indirect contacts of the laboratory staff remain under medical isolation, with around 100 currently being monitored in hospital wards.
WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the UN agency has requested additional information from Russian health authorities regarding a second employee presenting with unexplained pneumonia.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, Dr Ghebreyesus pushed for Russia to release all known information about the outbreak: “Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.”
But so far, official statements have appeared contradictory.
While municipal authorities in the nearby city of Baikalsk posted a warning on Telegram urging residents to avoid traveling to Shelekhov, the message was removed from the official channel two hours later, according to Lyudi Baikal.
Alexey Tsydenov, head of the neighbouring Republic of Buryatia, also initially shared on social media that the technician had died of plague, before editing his post to state she “may have” been infected.
