Darya Shipilova, employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, reportedly broke a test tube containing live bacteria
A Russian laboratory worker has died after reportedly being exposed to the bacteria that causes pneumonic plague, prompting medical observation of about 200 people who came into contact with her. Darya Shipilova, 28, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia. Reports said she accidentally broke a test tube containing live bacteria while working at the facility.
However, Russian health authorities have not officially confirmed that pneumonic plague was the cause of her death. The country’s public health watchdog has described the diagnosis as “pneumonia of unknown aetiology”.
Shipilova was admitted to hospital in Shelekhov on 29 September and placed on a ventilator. She died two days later. She reportedly became unwell while on a field expedition with colleagues in the neighbouring Buryatia region, near Russia’s border with Mongolia.
Around 200 people who had contact with her have been placed under medical observation, according to reports. Several hospitals have also been placed under quarantine measures.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said an emergency meeting had been held after information emerged about a suspected case of a “particularly dangerous infectious disease”.
“All identified contacts have been placed under medical observation,” he said. “As of today, none of the contacts has any signs of illness and their laboratory test results are negative.”
Buryatia’s governor, Alexei Tsydenov, said in a social media post that a woman in the neighbouring Irkutsk region had “died of plague”.
However, officials have urged people not to spread unverified information. Maxim Modin, mayor of Shelekhov, said: “It is too early to draw final conclusions – we will wait for the specialists’ findings.”
The reported test-tube accident has also been questioned by a senior Russian epidemiologist.
Mikhail Favorov dismissed the explanation, according to reports in the Moscow Times. “It’s laughable. Someone working at the Anti-Plague Institute in Irkutsk wears a protective anti-plague suit,” he was quoted as saying. “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.”
He added: “It’s absolutely hair-raising. We will not be told what really happened.”
Shipilova reportedly told medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria.
The reports have prompted comparisons with the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, although there is no evidence presented in the supplied reports linking the two incidents.
What Is Pneumonic Plague?
Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It affects the lungs and can be transmitted through respiratory droplets.
Symptoms can include fever, shortness of breath and coughing up blood, and typically appear three to seven days after exposure.
The disease can be fatal without prompt treatment, although early identification and antibiotics significantly improve the chances of survival.
