Researcher at Russian plague laboratory dies of ‘unknown’ infection

Dozens of people were reported to be in isolation after a Russian laboratory worker at an institute dedicated to studying the plague and other infectious diseases died of an undisclosed illness.

The researcher, a 28-year-old female laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia, in the town of Shelekhov, died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of “unknown” origin, according to Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian agency that handles infectious disease.

The agency played down the link between the researcher’s death and her work.

“No micro-organisms associated with the employee’s professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient,” it asserted, adding that the “epidemiological situation” in the region was stable.

Nevertheless, the agency’s head, Anna Yuryevna Popova, traveled to Irkutsk on Friday, according to the local governor, Igor Kobzev, for what he described as an extraordinary meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission.

The meeting was in connection with a “suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection affecting a resident of the region”, Kobzev said on Telegram.

Reached by phone on Monday, the institute where the researcher worked told CNN it was not commenting on the incident.

Anti-epidemic measures

Regional authorities are implementing a “comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures,” according to Maxim Modin, the mayor of the Shelekhovsky district in eastern Russia, near the Mongolian border.

The inpatient facility at the hospital where the worker was treated has been placed under quarantine, and several departments have stopped discharging or admitting patients, Modin said. Other hospitals in the region have also been closed, according to local media reports.

The woman’s death was confirmed by officials last week.

Ekaterina, a resident of Shekelov, told CNN on Monday that there were no visible changes in the city, but locals were anxious. “My acquaintances are slightly panicking,” she said.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was “shocked” by the news.

Unofficial reports, including by the independent regional news outlet Liudi Baikala, have said that nearly 200 people are under observation.

There have been no cases of infectious diseases reported among institute staff over the past 10 days, and all of the employee’s recent contacts are being tested and examined, Modin said.

In its only comment on the incident, the Kremlin said people should only trust updates coming from the official agency.

“One should rely on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor rather than listening to various rumors and speculation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

Deadly but not easily transmitted

Angela Rassmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, told CNN that while pneumonic plague is deadly, it is not very transmissible and one would have to be exposed to a high viral load to become sick.

In that sense, it is unlike respiratory illnesses such as COVID, she said.

There is endemic plague among wildlife in parts of Siberia, Rassmussen added.

According to its website, the Anti-Plague Institute employs around 95 researchers and is a major public health facility responsible for monitoring and preventing outbreaks of high-risk bacterial and viral infections across Siberia and Russia’s Far East.

The head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, said earlier that the employee died “possibly from the plague.” He also noted that “there are no plague outbreaks” in Buryatia.

Pneumonic plague is one of three types of plagues that are caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

The other two types typically spread from contact with infected fleas, animals or infected tissues.

An aluminum plant near the laboratory instructed staff to wear masks as a precautionary measure. The director of Irkutsk Aluminum Plant, Artem Fominikh, noted “conflicting reports” were circulating and called for calm.

The infection in the Irkutsk region is “most likely not the plague, but even if confirmed, there will be no spread of this disease,” a former head of Rospotrebnadzor, Gennady Onishchenko, said on Friday.

Onishchenko told state news agency TASS that the onset of cold weather would likely prevent transmission.

A US State Department spokesperson told CNN Sunday that it was aware of the possible death due to pneumonic plague in Russia.

“We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners,” the spokesperson said. “Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.”

Patients with pneumonic plague develop fever, headache, weakness and and “a rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery mucous,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The World Health Organization notes that the plague has a high fatality rate, but is also easily treated with antibiotics.