Russian Officials Retract Plague Claim After Laboratory Technician’s Death

Overview

• Local authorities and media first reported that a 28-year-old technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute died of pneumonic plague after an alleged broken test tube, but that early account has been disputed.
• The technician, identified in local reports as Daria Chipilova, was admitted to hospital on Sept. 29 and died overnight on Oct. 1–2, according to multiple local outlets.
• A special expert commission and Rospotrebnadzor reported on Oct. 5 that analyses found a pneumonia of undetermined origin and detected no micro-organism linked to her professional activity.
• Regional precautions remain in place with up to about 200 contacts under quarantine or medical surveillance, several hospitals and a maternity ward isolated, and local mask rules enforced at nearby workplaces.
• The United States says it is monitoring the case and has informed the CDC, and public and international scrutiny has focused on lab safety, historical plague reservoirs in Siberia, and the need for clear, timely information from Russian authorities.