Russia Says “No Plague Cases” Found After Lab Worker’s Death
Russian authorities say no cases of plague have been detected among people who came into contact with a laboratory worker who died after falling ill at a plague research institute in Siberia.
International health officials continue to monitor the situation surrounding the death of 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
According to Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, extensive testing has found no microorganisms in Shipilova’s body linked to her work, and no infectious diseases have been reported among staff at the institute over the past 10 days.
Authorities continue to say she died from “pneumonia of unknown origin.”
Around 200 people were initially placed under quarantine as a precaution. Reuters reports that about 60 percent of those placed under quarantine have now been released.
The World Health Organization says all of Shipilova’s identified contacts have been located and are being monitored, with none showing symptoms of illness so far. Russian authorities have also told the WHO that no cases of plague have been recorded in Irkutsk.
The WHO has assessed the risk to the general population as low. The agency remains in contact with Russian authorities as the investigation continues.