MOSCOW – Russian authorities have quarantined dozens of people in Siberia following the death of a laboratory worker at an institute that researches plague and other dangerous infectious diseases, triggering concerns over a possible public health threat.
The 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East died on Oct. 2 after developing what authorities described as “pneumonia of unknown aetiology.” She had been hospitalized in Shelekhov, near the city of Irkutsk.
Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said there was no evidence that her illness was connected to pathogens handled at the institute. Officials also denied reports circulating online that a laboratory accident involving infectious material had occurred.
Despite the assurances, authorities introduced precautionary measures. More than 60 institute employees were reportedly isolated, while people who had come into contact with the worker were identified, medically examined and placed under observation. Parts of the hospital where she was treated were also quarantined.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said no new cases involving employees of the institute had been reported and maintained that the epidemiological situation was under control. Russia’s top health official, Anna Popova, traveled to the region for an emergency meeting following the death.
The World Health Organization said it was in contact with Russian health authorities to verify the circumstances surrounding the case, laboratory testing and the health status of people who had been exposed.
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and remains endemic among some wild animal populations in Siberia. Pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs, can spread through respiratory droplets but can be treated with antibiotics when detected early.
Authorities have so far not confirmed that the worker died from plague.
