Lab worker dies in Siberia

A twenty eight year old laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia died last week in undisclosed circumstances. Local media named her as Darya Shipilova.

No plague detected in contacts

Russian authorities told the World Health Organization on Tuesday that no cases of plague have been detected among the contacts of the deceased worker. All contacts are being monitored.

Contacts show no symptoms

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said Russian health authorities reported that none of the contacts have shown symptoms of illness to date. All contacts are under observation.

“none to date have shown symptoms of illness”

Conflicting reports about exposure

A local news source claimed the lab worker was exposed to plague via a broken test tube. Local authorities said there was no evidence to support this claim.

Cause of death undetermined

Igor Kobzev, the regional governor of Irkutsk, said Monday the staffer had died from pneumonia of undetermined origin. An official cause of death has yet to be established.

No dangerous pathogens found

Laboratory tests determined no microorganisms related to the worker's professional activities were found in her biological samples. No new employees from the institute sought medical attention.

Dozens quarantined in district

Dozens of people who had been in contact with the lab worker have been quarantined and are under observation by medical professionals. Maxim Modin, the mayor of the Shelekhovsky district, said comprehensive anti-epidemic measures are being implemented.

WHO assesses risk as low

The WHO's initial risk assessment estimates the risk to be moderate to low for Irkutsk, a low risk for the Russian Federation as a whole, and very low for the WHO European region.

Pneumonic plague is treatable

Dr. Simon Clarke of the University of Reading said pneumonic plague is caused by bacteria Yersinia pestis and is nearly always fatal if untreated. However, it is generally treatable with antibiotics if identified quickly.

Pneumonic plague spreads between people

Unlike bubonic plague which enters the body via infected flea bites, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact. This makes it particularly serious.

US monitoring situation closely

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring the situation closely with the State Department and other interagency partners. President Donald Trump said the US is looking at it very strongly.

Rubio calls it cause for focus

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there is concern the infection could have spread internally, prompting quarantines. He emphasized the situation is cause for focus, though not alarm at this point.

Plague outbreaks possible globally

There are often annual outbreaks in Madagascar from September to April, some of the pneumonic form which spreads through the air. The WHO calls pneumonic plague of particular concern because of the high risk of triggering epidemics.