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Russian Lab Worker’s Death Fuels Plague Fears and Questions
Darya Shipilova worked at a Russian institute that studies dangerous diseases, including plague.
She became very sick with pneumonia and died on October 2.
Officials said they do not know what caused her pneumonia.
Some reports suggested she might have caught plague at work, but that has not been confirmed.
Officials said tests did not find germs connected to her work and reported no lab accident involving dangerous germs.
People who had contact with her were monitored, and some hospitals took precautions.
Reports differed about test results among her contacts.
The uncertainty and deleted or changed public posts led to questions about how clearly officials explained what happened.
Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia.
Authorities described her illness as “pneumonia of unknown aetiology” and said tests found no microorganisms linked to her professional activities.
Some media reports suggested a possible plague exposure after a test-tube accident, but authorities said they found no laboratory accident involving pathogenic microorganisms.
Accounts also differed about how she may have become ill; a reported work trip to Buryatia has not been confirmed as the source.
Authorities monitored contacts and took precautionary measures; reports said most showed no signs of illness, while AP said four tested positive for common respiratory viruses.
- Who
- Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute.
- What
- She died after developing severe pneumonia; whether it was pneumonic plague has not been confirmed.
- Where
- She died in a hospital in Shelekhov, in Russia’s Irkutsk region.
- When
- She died on October 2; reports said she was hospitalized on September 29.
- Why
- The cause of her pneumonia and how she became ill remain unclear.
Official account
Reported concerns and questions
Cause of death
Official account
Russian health authorities said Shipilova had pneumonia of unknown aetiology and that tests found no microorganisms connected to her professional activities.
Reported concerns and questions
Some local and independent media reports raised the possibility of pneumonic plague, but no report cited in the articles confirms that diagnosis.
Possible laboratory accident
Official account
Rospotrebnadzor said investigators found no incident involving pathogenic microorganisms at the institute.
Reported concerns and questions
Some Russian media reported that Shipilova may have broken a test tube containing plague bacteria; that account remains unconfirmed.
Public communication
Official account
Officials described the situation as stable and under control, and the Kremlin urged reliance on Rospotrebnadzor’s statements.
Reported concerns and questions
Reports of deleted or edited posts and changing accounts prompted accusations of a cover-up and calls for a clearer explanation.
Key facts
- Age
- 28
- Date of death
- October 2
- Officially described illness
- Pneumonia of unknown aetiology
- Workplace
- Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East
- Reported possible exposure
- Some reports described a possible test-tube accident; it has not been confirmed.
- Authorities’ findings
- Rospotrebnadzor said tests found no microorganisms associated with her professional activities and no laboratory incident involving pathogenic microorganisms.
- Contact monitoring
- Authorities monitored identified contacts; AP reported two tested positive for a common-cold virus and two for Covid-19.
Quotes
Hamish de Bretton Gordon
Former commanding officer of the UK’s Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment.
“We should be worried [about what’s happened in Russia] because plague has a long history of causing mayhem.”
indianexpress.com
Marco Rubio
US Secretary of State.
“We’re watching and monitoring it closely. I don’t think it’s cause for alarm.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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