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The death of an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia has prompted an urgent response from Russian health authorities and drawn growing international attention. Officials say there is no evidence of a plague outbreak.
The 28-year-old employee, identified by local media as Darya Shipilova, fell ill under unclear circumstances and later died at a hospital in the city of Shelekhov. Officials said the cause of death was pneumonia of unknown origin. Investigators have found no link between her illness and her work at the institute.
Anna Popova, head of Russia’s consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, travelled to Irkutsk Region for urgent discussions. People identified as having been in contact with Shipilova have been placed under medical supervision. Some parts of the hospital where she died have been closed, and precautionary measures have been taken in the surrounding area.
Russian and international media have reported that about 200 contacts are being monitored. Officials have not publicly confirmed that figure.
Rospotrebnadzor denies reports of an accident
The employee’s death prompted speculation on social media that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing plague bacteria. Rospotrebnadzor rejected the claims, saying its inspection at the institute found no signs of an accident involving dangerous pathogens.
Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev urged residents to remain calm. He said no other institute employees had sought medical care in recent days, and that all known contacts had been identified, examined and placed under medical supervision.
Russian officials say the situation is under control and that no new suspected cases linked to the institute have been recorded.
US and European Union monitor the situation
The incident has drawn international attention because the institute studies plague and other dangerous infectious diseases. Plague has natural reservoirs in some parts of Siberia: the bacterium that causes the disease, Yersinia pestis, circulates among wild rodents and fleas. Human infections are rare in Russia, although cases are recorded elsewhere in the world, particularly in Africa.
Health experts say the pneumonic form of plague, which affects the lungs, is considered the most dangerous because it can spread through respiratory droplets and carries a high risk of death if left untreated. However, antibiotics are highly effective when administered promptly.
The United States and the European Union are monitoring the incident. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was following the situation but saw no reason for alarm.
A European Commission spokesperson said the Commission was in contact with experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and was seeking updated information through the World Health Organization. European officials have urged Russia to disclose information promptly and transparently.
The Commission said the experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic had made Europe better prepared for potential infectious disease threats. It also noted that EU member states had stocks of antibiotics that could be used in a plague emergency. Washington and Brussels have not announced any special response measures.
The cause of Shipilova’s illness remains unknown. Uncertainty persists because her diagnosis has not been disclosed and conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding her death have circulated. Russian officials say no plague outbreak has been detected, no new infections have been recorded and the risk to the general public is low.
