The White House is monitoring reports of a suspected plague case in Siberia after a 28-year-old employee of a Russian anti-plague research institute died following a sudden case of severe pneumonia.
A Trump administration official told Axios the administration is aware of the situation in Russia's Irkutsk region, is monitoring developments and is assessing possible options. Russian health authorities have not confirmed that the woman, identified in media reports as Daria Shipilova, contracted plague.
Shipilova worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Local reports say she broke a test tube containing the bacterium that causes pneumonic plague while working Sept. 25. She was hospitalized Sept. 29 with severe pneumonia and died overnight between Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
That account remains unconfirmed and is disputed by Russian authorities.
Russia's public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, said Shipilova was diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown etiology." The agency said extensive testing found no microorganisms associated with her professional work and that an investigation found no accident involving pathogenic microorganisms at the institute.
Authorities nevertheless took precautionary measures. Nearly 200 people who had contact with Shipilova were placed under medical observation, according to Axios. Irkutsk regional officials said those being monitored showed no signs of the suspected illness and tested negative.
Alexei Tsydenov, head of neighboring Buryatia, initially said the woman died from plague before modifying his statement to say she "possibly" died from the disease. Rospotrebnadzor maintains the epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and nearby Shelekhov is stable. Officials said testing of close contacts detected two COVID-19 infections and two rhinovirus infections, but no other infections.
Pneumonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Unlike the more familiar bubonic form, pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact. It is potentially deadly but can be treated with antibiotics when diagnosed quickly.
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