Moscow [Russia], October 6 : Russian health authorities have denied reports that a laboratory worker at an anti-plague institute in Siberia died of plague, saying tests found no pathogen linked to her professional activity. The denial comes as more than 60 colleagues remain isolated and quarantine restrictions continue at several hospitals in the Irkutsk region, Euronews reported.
According to Euronews, citing Russia's national health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, on Monday, tests of biological material from Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory assistant at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute, found no microorganisms associated with her work.
It also said no accidents involving pathogenic microorganisms had been detected at the institute.
Shipilova died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia.
According to Euronews, previous reports citing unnamed sources close to regional security services had raised concerns that she may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke in the laboratory.
Rospotrebnadzor said that among people who had contact with Shipilova, two cases of COVID-19 and two rhinovirus infections were detected, while no other infectious agents were identified.
Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said a special expert commission had determined that the cause of Shipilova's death was "pneumonia of unknown aetiology".
"The situation remains under our control and under the control of experts," Kobzev said, as quoted by Euronews.
Despite the authorities' denial of plague, more than 60 employees of the anti-plague institute have remained isolated inside the facility since Friday, as reported by Euronews.
Several hospitals in Irkutsk were also placed under quarantine, including three city clinical hospitals, the Ivano-Matreninsky children's hospital and the city maternity hospital. The Central District Hospital in Shelekhov, where Shipilova lived, was also closed.
A mask mandate was also introduced at the Irkutsk Aluminium Plant in Shelekhov, as reported by Euronews.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday urged journalists to rely on official information from Rospotrebnadzor rather than reports circulating elsewhere.
Peskov told journalists to focus on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor and not on "various rumours, various speculations."
Meanwhile, according to media reports, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was aware of reports that a laboratory worker in Irkutsk oblast had died of severe pneumonia on October 2 but stressed that no cause of death had been officially confirmed.
According to WHO, all contacts of the patient had reportedly been identified and were being monitored, with none showing symptoms of illness so far.
The UN health agency said it was in contact with Russian health authorities under Articles 9 and 10 of the International Health Regulations (2005) to verify the circumstances of the case, the laboratory testing and its results, the rationale for contact tracing and the health status of contacts, as well as any potential international public health implications.
WHO added that, based on the unofficial information available to it, the public health risk to the general population appeared to be low, while noting that its assessment would be updated as more information became available.
Plague is a bacterial disease with several forms. According to WHO, pneumonic plague is the most contagious form, can spread between people and is fatal without early antibiotic treatment.
Russia has recorded isolated plague cases since 2014, most involving transmission from rodents during skinning, and has contained them successfully.