Russian authorities are responding to a suspected laboratory accident in Siberia in which a dangerous infection may have been released and a researcher died.
The incident occurred at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, near Irkutsk, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
It remains unclear what infection was involved. Russia’s consumer and infectious disease watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said special measures were introduced after an employee of the institute was diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause.
Rospotrebnadzor said the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, including Irkutsk and Shelekhov, remained stable.
Possible plague infection reported
Alexei Tsydenov, head of neighbouring Buryatia, said the employee, a 28-year-old woman, had died possibly from plague. He stressed, however, that there were no plague outbreaks in Buryatia.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev urged people to remain calm, saying an emergency meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission had been held with Russia’s chief state doctor.
The meeting followed a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection affecting a resident of the region, Kobzev said.
Contacts under medical supervision
An aluminium plant near the laboratory instructed employees to wear masks as a precaution. Its director, Artem Fominikh, also urged calm amid what he described as conflicting reports.
He said all identified close contacts were under medical supervision and had shown no signs of illness, while laboratory tests had returned negative.
Unofficial reports from the independent regional outlet Liudi Baikala said nearly 200 people were placed under observation at a hospital in Shelekhov. The outlet also reported that quarantine had been imposed at at least one maternity hospital in the city.
Authorities monitor possible plague
Gennady Onishchenko, a former head of Rospotrebnadzor, said the infection was most likely not plague. He told TASS that even if plague were confirmed, he did not expect the disease to spread.
Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Unlike forms typically transmitted through infected fleas or animals, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets.
A US State Department spokesperson said Washington was aware of the possible death from pneumonic plague and was monitoring the situation with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The spokesperson stressed that many details remained unconfirmed and urged Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.
According to the CDC, pneumonic plague can cause fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing pneumonia, with symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing.
The World Health Organization says plague can have a high fatality rate but is treatable with antibiotics when diagnosed and treated promptly, while precautions can help prevent transmission.
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