Health · Public Health & Disease · 22 hrs ago
WHO says cause of Russian lab worker’s death remains unknown
A worker at a research lab in Siberia that studies plague and other diseases died after developing pneumonia on October 2.
The cause of her death has not been confirmed, and the World Health Organization says no plague case has been registered.
Pneumonic plague was suggested in early, unconfirmed reports, but Russian officials say tests did not find plague or other dangerous pathogens.
They reported conducting more than 5,500 tests and checking the worker’s contacts.
The WHO says those contacts had no symptoms and it found no evidence of ongoing transmission linked to the death.
About 200 people were quarantined after the worker died, and a local official said some had been released.
The WHO has called for further investigation and says more information, including a confirmed diagnosis, is needed.
The World Health Organization says the cause of pneumonia that killed a worker at a Russian research institute remains unconfirmed.
The WHO says it has found no evidence of ongoing transmission and no plague case has been registered.
Russian officials reported that tests on the worker and her contacts found no evidence of the dangerous pathogens tested.
About 200 people were quarantined after the worker fell ill and died on October 2.
Russia denies reports of a second case, while the WHO has called for further investigation and information.
- Who
- A worker at Russia’s Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Russian media named her as Darya Shipilova.
- What
- She died after developing pneumonia, but the cause remains unclear; no plague case has been registered.
- When
- She fell ill and died on October 2. The WHO reported its findings on October 10.
- Where
- At a plague research institute in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, Russia.
- Why
- The cause of her pneumonia has not been confirmed, and the reported test results did not identify the pathogens tested.
World Health Organization
Russian authorities
Second case
World Health Organization
The WHO continued to refer to a purported second case and called for further investigation and information.
Russian authorities
Russia has denied that there was a second case.
Assessment of the death
World Health Organization
The WHO says the diagnosis remains unconfirmed and that more clinical, epidemiological and laboratory information is needed.
Russian authorities
Russian officials report negative tests for the high-threat pathogens tested and say no plague was detected.
Additional clinical, epidemiological and laboratory information, including confirmation of the diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker, is required to improve confidence in the assessment.
Based on the information provided… WHO has not identified evidence of ongoing transmission associated with this event. A key uncertainty remains the absence of a confirmed diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker,
died, maybe of the plague
The worker fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people.
A local official said 60 percent of those placed in quarantine had been released.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked Russia to respond to media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause.
Russia said it had completed health checks on the worker’s contacts and provided information to the WHO.
The WHO said the cause of the worker’s death remained unclear and that it had found no evidence of ongoing transmission.
- Worker
- Darya Shipilova, according to Russian media
- Institute
- Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East
- Death
- October 2
- Quarantine
- About 200 people
- Tests
- More than 5,500, according to the WHO’s account of Russian health officials’ findings
- WHO assessment
- No evidence of ongoing transmission identified
Sources
Related news
Russia ends checks after Siberian lab worker’s death, but cause remains unknown
CDC monitors US arrivals from Siberia amid concerns over possible plague
Kozhikode steps up fish market checks amid spoilage and chemical concerns
About 1,300 to 1,400 people seek care after illness in Tokat
Refrigerated food can stay cold for about four hours during a power outage
Some flood-exposed canned foods may be safe to keep if they are intact
How to make water safer after a hurricane
Efferon develops blood-filtering device for children with sepsis
Brazil approves first human tests of vaccine against a major malaria parasite
Drug-resistant Shigella is becoming more common in the U.S
French blood stocks fall as health and social disruptions affect donations
