Suspected plague in Russia: a “low” risk for the country and “very low” for Europe, according to the WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that it was carrying out checks with Russian authorities after the death of a laboratory worker at the Institute for Combating Plague in the Irkutsk region of Siberia.

“WHO's initial risk assessment, based on available information, indicates that the risk is moderate to low for Irkutsk, low for the Russian Federation as a whole and very low for the European region,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said at a press briefing in Geneva.

The WHO contacted Russian health authorities “to verify the event, its circumstances, the ongoing laboratory analyzes and the results”, and indicated that it had offered its assistance.

The death of Daria Chipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory technician who worked for the Irkutsk Plague Institute, reported by several Russian media outlets on October 2, has caused serious concern in Russia and beyond.

“No pathogens were detected”

According to the media People of Baikal, she could have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke, but Russian authorities are tempering suspicions of contamination of this infectious disease caused by bacteria.

The regional governor, Igor Kobzev, said Monday that post-mortem analyzes carried out by a special commission of Rospotrebnadzor experts indicate that the young woman died of “pneumonia” of “undetermined” origin.

According to the investigation, “no microorganisms linked to the young woman’s professional activity were detected in her biomaterials,” he said.

Russian authorities also indicated to the WHO that “according to the test results, no pathogens responsible for dangerous infectious diseases were detected in people who had been in contact,” Christian Lindmeier also reported.

Pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can be fatal if not treated promptly, according to the WHO.