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Residents of Russia’s Irkutsk region are deeply worried by rumours of a possible outbreak of pneumonic plague in this Siberian area. Speculation began to spread rapidly after the death of an employee of the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute.
Darya Shipilova died in the early hours of 2 October in the intensive care unit of the district hospital in the town of Shelekhov. According to local media, she broke a test tube containing the plague pathogen.
The incident prompted authorities to introduce quarantine measures: around 200 people have been placed under strict medical observation. The outlet “Baikal People” (source in Russian) reports that several Irkutsk hospitals were immediately closed and placed under quarantine, due to last three weeks. On Saturday, masks were made compulsory as a preventive measure at the Irkutsk aluminium plant in Shelekhov.
Residents of Shelekhov have seen people on the streets wearing protective suits, masks and gloves. Local parents also say masks were handed out in kindergartens.
Where did the plague come from?
The deceased, a 28-year-old laboratory assistant, specialised in research on dangerous pathogens. According to the main account reported by her colleagues and independent media, on 25 September, while working with live biological material in the laboratory, she accidentally smashed a test tube containing the dangerous bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Two days later Shipilova’s condition suddenly worsened. She was rushed to Shelekhov district hospital. At first doctors, unaware of what had happened, suspected a severe case of coronavirus and admitted her to a specialised Covid unit. However, the rapid deterioration and the clinical picture forced them to carry out rapid tests for highly dangerous infections. The patient was put on a ventilator, but her life could not be saved.
The pulmonary form of plague develops extremely fast and, without prompt and targeted antibiotic treatment, is almost invariably fatal.
Are the authorities hiding information?
The authorities’ immediate response underlined how serious the situation was. The head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, urgently arrived at Shelekhov hospital and took part in an emergency meeting of the sanitary and anti-epidemic commission chaired by regional governor Igor Kobzev.
After the incident, officials initially restricted the information they released. During the first 24 hours, authorities in the Irkutsk region and Governor Igor Kobzev avoided using the word “plague”. On 2 October Kobzev spoke of “a particularly dangerous infection” and said that “the situation is under strict control”. The next day the authorities in Baikalsk urged residents not to travel to Shelekhov because of plague, but deleted the post a few hours later.
The head of Buryatia, Alexey Tsydenov, also commented on the situation. Citing Rospotrebnadzor and the republican government, he said the woman’s death was linked to plague infection, but later his statement was amended to a more cautious wording.
This lack of clarity has fuelled panic on social networks in Irkutsk and neighbouring regions.
Well-known Russian epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko tried to reassure local residents, saying that plague carriers – rodents and fleas – in Siberia usually go into winter dormancy by early October. But that did not dispel people’s fears.
“Pneumonia of unknown aetiology”
On Sunday, Rospotrebnadzor said that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk region was stable, and that the woman had died from “pneumonia of unknown aetiology”. The agency insists that further testing of samples taken from the patient did not reveal any micro-organisms related to her professional work.
“The sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk region, in the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, is stable,” the press service of Rospotrebnadzor said. “A special package of measures has been organised and carried out in connection with the illness of an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East, diagnosis: ‘Pneumonia of unknown aetiology’.”
Rospotrebnadzor also stated that no incidents involving pathogenic microorganismshad been recorded at the institute and that “no staff member has sought medical help for infectious diseases in the past 10 days”.
