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Russia quarantines its plague institute while denying a link to a worker's death
The WHO said on Wednesday it cannot assess the risk from a suspected plague death in Siberia because Russia has not shared a full picture. Officials deny the worker's institute is involved while placing that same lab under quarantine.
The Scientist · Science desk
What happened
- Darya Shipilova, 28, fell ill with cold-like symptoms and died two days later; she worked at the Irkutsk anti-plague research institute, and some reports suggest she was infected in a workplace accident.
- Russian authorities say Shipilova died from pneumonia of an unknown aetiology.
- Staff were locked inside the institute for three days, sleeping on floors and on chairs, while tests were carried out.
- Health officials in Irkutsk have taken extensive measures to stop a potential outbreak from spreading, according to the Baikal Medical Journal.
- The Kremlin has played down the incident and brushed aside an offer of assistance from US president Donald Trump, while the White House pressed for details and said the risk to the US is very low.
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Why it matters
- constraint Until Moscow shares its data, the WHO's risk assessment is stuck. The agency said it has asked Russia to respond and is still waiting, and it cannot inspect inside the country itself.
- contradiction Russia tells the public the regional situation is stable, with no danger of an outbreak. No outside expert can currently check that reassurance, so other governments are taking it on trust.
- exposure A single lab accident would be self-contained. The WHO wants Russia to confirm or dismiss unconfirmed reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause, because a second case would reopen the question of whether the disease spreads between people.
The WHO does not run its own investigation inside Russia. It works from what the government in Moscow reports, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, set out the standard it is asking Russia to meet. "Timely, complete and transparent information sharing is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public risks," he said [5].
The agency is still missing the basics. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic management, said it still does not know how Shipilova was infected, or with what disease [17]. If pneumonic plague is ruled out, she asked, "what did she actually die from?" [18]
Shipilova's family and former classmates reject the account that has circulated. Her mother, Svetlana, 64, dismissed the suggestion that her daughter broke a test tube and infected herself. "I know the truth. I'm fending off stupid friends who believe this. A test tube is unbreakable, even if you throw it against the wall," she said [20]. One former classmate was quoted saying: "They've smeared a woman without properly investigating. Knowing how hard-working and responsible she was, it just doesn't add up for me." [21]
Trump said on Tuesday he would speak to Putin about the plague issue "very soon"; the Kremlin said no call had been arranged but could be organised quickly [8].
In Irkutsk, neighbours described workers in white protective suits and gas masks disinfecting the two-storey building where Shipilova lived, several times after her death on Friday [10]. One woman said she asked what they were treating. She said she was told it was for cockroaches, though her building has no cockroaches [11].
What to watch
- Whether Russia answers the WHO's request about the reported second employee with undetermined pneumonia.
- Whether lab tests confirm or rule out pneumonic plague as the cause of Shipilova's death.
- Whether the Trump-Putin call takes place and whether Moscow accepts outside assistance.