Russia’s public health watchdog has denied reports that a second person became ill after coming into contact with a laboratory worker who died in Siberia. The clarification comes amid continuing concerns over the woman’s unexplained death and unconfirmed reports linking it to pneumonic plague.
The woman, identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. She died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia. Russian health authorities have said her death was caused by pneumonia of unknown origin and have rejected claims that she had plague.
Rospotrebnadzor said extensive testing found no evidence that Shipilova’s illness was caused by any of the dangerous pathogens she worked with at the institute. The agency also told the World Health Organization that no plague cases had recently been registered in the Irkutsk region.
On Thursday, Rospotrebnadzor also described reports of a second person falling ill after contact with Shipilova as false. It said people who had been identified as contacts were monitored and tested, with no dangerous pathogens detected among them.
The World Health Organization, however, is still seeking more information from Moscow. WHO officials have asked Russia to clarify what caused Shipilova’s severe pneumonia, what pathogen prompted the public health measures and whether there was another employee with pneumonia of unknown cause. WHO has stressed that timely and transparent information is important to assess the health risk accurately.
Russian authorities have said preventive and anti-epidemic measures were carried out because of the woman’s professional work. They have also stated that Shipilova had been vaccinated against dangerous infections and that an inspection found no emergency involving pathogens at the institute.
For now, Russia continues to maintain that there is no confirmed plague case in the region and no evidence of a second linked infection. The cause of Shipilova’s illness remains unclear, while the WHO continues to seek further details from Russian authorities.
