Pneumonic plague outbreak kills lab worker and leaves Russian hospitals and residents quarantined
Fears of a deadly pneumonic plague outbreak have been sparked in Russia following the death of a 28-year-old lab worker.
Daria Shipilova, a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia, reportedly came into contact with the pathogen and became unwell.
Some local media outlets reported that Shipilova became infected while at the Institute after ‘breaking a test tube containing a pathogen’.
She was taken to hospital in Shelekhov with severe pneumonia symptoms on 29 September and was placed on a ventilator.
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However, she died two days later.
Shipilova’s death has prompted fears of a pneumonic plague outbreak, resulting in five hospitals and colleges being placed into lockdown and around 200 people she came into contact with being quarantined.
There have also been accusations that Russian officials are attempting to ‘cover-up’ the situation.
Russian epidemiologist Mikhal Favorov has claimed people haven’t been told what really happened.
Speaking to The Moscow Times, he said: “It's laughable. Someone working at the Anti-Plague Institute in Irkutsk wears a protective anti-plague suit.
“If you break a test tube, the likelihood of infection is actually very low. In short, it doesn't matter to the general public – they'll believe the ‘broken test tube’ story.”
He added: “It's absolutely hair-raising. We will not be told what really happened.”
Mayor of Shelekhov, Maxim Modin, has urged people not to speculate, telling the public ‘not to spread rumours or unreliable information – use only official sources’.
He added: “It is too early to draw final conclusions – we will wait for the specialists' findings.”
Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said: “We held an extraordinary meeting of the regional sanitary and anti-epidemic commission with the participation of Russia's Chief State Sanitary Doctor Anna Popova.
“The reason was information that had emerged about a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infectious disease in a resident of the region.”
What is pneumonic plague?
Pneumonic plague is one of three kinds of plague, alongside bubonic and septicaemic.
It is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, usually found in small mammals and their fleas and can be contracted by humans via bites from infected fleas, unprotected contact with infected bodily fluids, or the inhalation of particles from a patient with pneumonic plague.
According to the World Health Organisation, pneumonic - or lung-based - plague is the most virulent form of plague.
“Incubation can be as short as 24 hours,” WHO writes.
“Any person with pneumonic plague may transmit the disease via respiratory particles to other humans. Untreated pneumonic plague, if not diagnosed and treated early, can be fatal.”
However, the organisation also notes that recovery rates are ‘high’ if the disease is detected and treated within 24 hours of onset symptoms.
Claire Reid