Russia’s health regulator refuted claims on Thursday that a second individual had become sick after the death of a worker at a plague research facility in Siberia. The regulator dismissed what it deemed as false information circulating on social media regarding a second case of illness.
According to the regulator, thorough checks on all contacts of the deceased woman revealed no health issues related to infectious diseases. Nearly 5,000 laboratory tests conducted showed no presence of dangerous pathogenic microorganisms.
The 28-year-old employee, Daria Shipilova, passed away from pneumonia with an unknown cause. She worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov. Russian authorities swiftly implemented precautionary anti-epidemic measures following her death.
Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s health watchdog, stated that Shipilova succumbed to an unidentified type of pneumonia, and no relevant pathogens were found in individuals who had contact with her. Officials mentioned she was vaccinated and immune to the infections she worked with.
The World Health Organization initially assessed the risk to the public as low but expressed the need for more information from Russian authorities to make a comprehensive risk evaluation. WHO offered assistance to Russia and requested verification of media reports about a second employee with pneumonia of unknown cause.
Health Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are monitoring the situation but see minimal risk to their respective countries. The CDC is prepared to screen and monitor travelers from the Siberian region. Direct flights between Russia and the United States have been halted since the onset of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.