Authorities in Russia are responding to an incident at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, near Irkutsk, where a 28-year-old female researcher died after being diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” according to the state infectious disease agency Rospotrebnadzor.
The agency said the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, the city of Irkutsk, and Shelekhov remains stable. Special measures were carried out in connection with the case, Rospotrebnadzor said, but it did not confirm the specific pathogen involved.
However, the head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, suggested the woman died “possibly from the plague,” while noting there are no plague outbreaks in Buryatia. The governor of Irkutsk, Igor Kobzev, urged calm on Friday, saying an extraordinary meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission was held with Russia’s chief state doctor over the suspected case of a “particularly dangerous infection.”
Unofficial reports from the independent regional outlet Liudi Baikala indicate that nearly 200 people have been placed under observation at the hospital in Shelekhov where the technician was treated, and that quarantine has been imposed at at least one maternity hospital.
An aluminum plant near the laboratory instructed staff to wear masks as a precaution. The plant’s director, Artem Fominikh, urged calm, noting “many rumors and conflicting reports circulating.” He added that all identified close contacts are under medical supervision and show no signs of disease, with negative lab results so far.
A previous head of Rospotrebnadzor, Gennady Onishchenko, told state news agency TASS that the infection is “most likely not the plague, but even if confirmed, there will be no spread of this disease.” He suggested the onset of cold weather would likely prevent transmission.
Pneumonic plague, one of three forms caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, can spread between people through respiratory droplets and is considered the most dangerous form of the disease.