Russia denies laboratory employee died of plague — NDTV

In Russia’s Irkutsk region, a state aggressor, officials said that tests of biological samples from a deceased employee of an anti-plague institute did not detect microorganisms related to her professional activities. As NDTV World reports, authorities described the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the region as stable.

Commission findings

Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev said that a special expert commission determined the cause of death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova to be pneumonia of undetermined etiology. According to him, after conducting tests, Rospotrebnadzor found no microorganisms in the woman’s biological samples related to her work.

Kobzev also said that after the employee’s death, there had been no new requests for medical assistance from staff of the anti-plague institute. He added that the situation was under the control of the authorities and specialized experts.

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Reports of a possible accident

Earlier, reports that Shipilova had died of plague caused concern. People of Baikal, citing unnamed sources close to regional security forces, suggested that the woman may have contracted pneumonic plague through a broken test tube. Other media outlets also reported a possible link between her death and a laboratory accident.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged people to rely on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor rather than rumors and assumptions. According to the World Health Organization, plague is a bacterial disease, and its pneumonic form is the most contagious and can be fatal without early treatment.