Russia Says No Epidemic Risk After Siberian Laboratory Worker’s Death

By Staff, Agencies

Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday that there was no epidemic risk to the public following the reported death of a 28-year-old laboratory technician in Siberia, as questions continued over the circumstances of the case.

The woman, who worked at a plague research institute in Irkutsk region, reportedly died last week from pneumonia of unknown etiology.

Unverified media reports had suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague after a laboratory accident involving a broken test tube, but Russian authorities rejected the claim.

Rospotrebnadzor said extensive testing found no indication that her illness was linked to pathogens handled as part of her work. The agency said the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the region remained calm and that there were “no epidemic risks for the population.”

The watchdog said more than 90% of the woman’s contacts had completed medical observation, with no infectious illnesses linked to the case detected. Nearly 5,000 laboratory tests reportedly found nho dangerous pathogenic microorganisms.

Tests of people who had contact with the woman detected other respiratory infections. Two contacts tested positive for a virus associated with the common cold, while another two were diagnosed with COVID-19. No cases of plague were reported.

Authorities nevertheless introduced precautionary “anti-epidemic measures” and placed Shelekhov hospital under quarantine.

The facility temporarily stopped admitting or discharging patients, while its laboratory suspended routine testing.

The case prompted international attention after reports raised the possibility of pneumonic plague, a severe form of plague that can spread between people. Rospotrebnadzor said the woman had been vaccinated and had immunity to dangerous infections associated with her work.

The agency said it had informed the World Health Organization under international health regulations.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that the organization had requested additional information from Russia regarding the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen behind the public health measures and reports that a second employee had also developed pneumonia of undetermined cause.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had informed the WHO through established procedures and cautioned against relying on media reports, saying much of the reporting surrounding the incident was false.