(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia, Russia, died after contracting pneumonia for unknown reasons. Relevant units have traced and isolated relevant contacts.
Local state-run television reported on Monday (October 5) that 28-year-old woman Darya Shipilova died last week in a hospital in Shelekhov on the outskirts of Irkutsk. Shipilova worked at the Institute of Epidemic Prevention during her lifetime.
The death sparked concern on social media, but the Russian government said on Monday the situation was under control.
Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk Region, said that after expert investigation, the woman died of "pneumonia of unknown cause" and said: "It is important that no other employees of the Epidemic Prevention Institute were found to have sought medical treatment due to physical discomfort in the past few days."
Kobzev said on the social platform Telegram that the test results of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights and Citizens’ Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) did not find pathogens related to her work in the woman’s body.
The Russian state-run news agency TASS also quoted a Rospotrebnadzor statement stating that no evidence had been found that the institute had had an accident while handling pathogens, and there is currently no evidence that the woman's death was related to her work.
Kobzev said that the situation is currently under control and that all persons known to have been in contact with the deceased have been identified, examined and are undergoing medical monitoring.
According to Russian media reports, about 200 people who had been in contact with the deceased were quarantined; part of the hospital in Sherekhov town where she died was blocked, and an aluminum factory also required employees to wear masks.
There are different opinions on the cause of the disease
There are different and unconfirmed local reports regarding the timing, location and cause of death of this case. The Russian media "People of Baikal" quoted news on the 2nd and reported that the woman died of suspected pneumonic plague.
Plague is a bacterial disease, among which "pneumonic plague" is extremely contagious. Patients will cough up droplets containing pathogens, which can be spread through the air. According to the World Health Organization, pneumonic plague can be treated with antibiotics if caught early; but if left untreated, it can be fatal within 1 to 6 days.
News spread on social media that the woman accidentally broke a test tube containing live bacteria in the laboratory, which may be related to her death.
The Russian government called on the public to remain calm. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that people and the media should follow official information and not rumors or speculation.
Local testing personnel found 2 cases of new coronavirus pneumonia and 2 cases of rhinovirus infection among the contacts of the deceased; apart from this, no other cases of infectious diseases were found.
The World Health Organization said that based on the information currently available, "the public health risk to the general public appears to be very low" and that it will further assess the risk after more information is obtained.
Trump: The U.S. is paying close attention
When asked how Washington would respond to possible plague risks in Russia, U.S. President Trump said on Monday that the United States was closely monitoring the situation and was willing to provide assistance.
Trump said: "We are paying close attention to this matter. We just heard about it. We will help them and assist them in any way we can." However, he said that he has not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the matter. He also said that these germs have "become stronger" than in the past, and the treatments that were effective against pneumonia in the past are no longer as effective now.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he believed there was no reason to panic at the moment and that the U.S. was closely monitoring the case and noted that although Russia had implemented quarantine and other public health measures.
He noted that while travel between the United States and Russia is limited, "like anything else, once word gets out, it can still spread very quickly."
