"If Not Plague, What Was the Cause of Death?"... Questions Mount After Russian Researcher in Her 20s Dies After Breaking Test Tube

High-Risk Pathogen Researcher Dies of Pneumonia of Unknown Cause
Russia: "No Plague Bacterium Found... No Further Infections"
WHO: "Cause of Death Must Be Disclosed Transparently"

After a researcher at a plague (Black Death) research institute in Siberia, Russia, died of pneumonia of unknown cause, Russian authorities have not disclosed the pathogen responsible for her death. The World Health Organization (WHO) and others are calling for information to be shared.

Research institute photo for illustration. Pexels

Death from Unknown Cause at Russian Plague Research Institute

According to foreign media outlets, including the UK's Daily Mail, on October 11 local time, Darya Shipilova, 28, a researcher at the Siberian and Far Eastern Anti-Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk, Russia, began showing symptoms including difficulty breathing on September 27. She was admitted to hospital two days later, but her condition rapidly worsened, and she died in the intensive care unit on October 2. She died less than a week after her symptoms began.

Suspicions of a plague infection arose because of the nature of the institute, which handles high-risk pathogens such as the plague bacterium. Some media outlets reported that on September 25, Shipilova dropped and broke a test tube containing a live pathogen while handling it. There were also claims that the course of her symptoms resembled pneumonic plague. This form of plague occurs when the plague bacterium infects the lungs and spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets. Without timely treatment, it can be fatal within days.

Russian authorities, however, have denied that she was infected with plague. Russia's health authorities announced the official cause of death as "severe pneumonia of undetermined cause." They said, "No high-risk pathogens handled by the institute were detected in samples from the deceased, and the plague bacterium was not found," adding that there had been no pathogen leak at the laboratory. Igor Kobzev, governor of Irkutsk Oblast, also said, "Shipilova had been vaccinated and was immune to the dangerous infectious diseases handled in the course of her research," adding that "no incidents involving pathogenic microorganisms were found at the institute."

The authorities also said, "Among approximately 200 people subject to quarantine and monitoring, two tested positive for COVID-19 and two for rhinovirus, and there have been no additional infections." Russia told the WHO that high-risk pathogens had not been detected in approximately 5,000 tests and that 90% of those subject to quarantine had been cleared. Governor Kobzev announced on October 8 that quarantine had been lifted after infection-control measures were completed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "People should not listen to speculation and rumors, but trust official government announcements."

Conflicting Local Reports Amid Official Denials... WHO Also Applies Pressure

However, reports contradicting the authorities' account continued to emerge locally. According to foreign media, officials in the nearby city of Baikalsk posted a warning on Telegram urging people to avoid visiting, citing "unofficial information that a confirmed plague case has been reported in the city of Shelekhov." The post was deleted two hours later. Reports on plague were subsequently taken down from Russian media outlets, including Channel 5, REN TV, and the daily Kommersant. Local media also reported a second case. On October 8, the health authorities said, "Reports of a second case are not true."

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's lead for epidemic and pandemic management, AFP-Yonhap News

The international community is calling on Russia to disclose the cause of death if it was not plague. Dr. Raj Panjabi, who served as a White House public health official under the Joe Biden administration, said, "It is highly likely that comprehensive testing has already been completed, but the fact that the results have not been publicly disclosed raises serious concerns." Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's lead for epidemic and pandemic management, asked, "If plague has been definitively ruled out as the cause of death, what pathogen actually caused it?"

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "Under the International Health Regulations (IHR), information must be shared promptly, fully, and transparently to assess potential public health risks." The WHO has also requested information from Russia regarding reports of a second case. The WHO classified the risk of spread as "low" in its initial risk assessment, but said it was difficult to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment because Russia had not provided sufficient information.

The United States and the European Union (EU) have also called on Russia to disclose information transparently. The U.S. State Department told Newsweek, "We urge the Russian authorities to share accurate information promptly and publicly." On October 7, U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the matter.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.