Russia plays down pneumonic plague fears after lab worker’s death

Russia on Tuesday said no cases of plague had been confirmed among people who came into contact with a 28-year-old laboratory worker who died last week after developing pneumonia of unknown origin.

Russia on Tuesday said no cases of plague had been confirmed among people who came into contact with a 28-year-old laboratory worker who died last week after developing pneumonia of unknown origin.

The woman, identified in reports as Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia. Her death has prompted quarantines and medical monitoring of people who may have been exposed, amid unconfirmed reports that she may have contracted pneumonic plague at the laboratory.

Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian health watchdog, said that no cases of dangerous infectious diseases had been reported among staff at the institute in Irkutsk over the previous 10 days.

The agency said tests found no microorganisms linked to Shipilova’s professional activities in her biological samples, while Russian authorities have described her cause of death as pneumonia of unknown origin.

Elena Sofina, deputy head of the Shelekhov district near Irkutsk, said that initial concerns about a possible dangerous infection at a quarantined local hospital had not been confirmed.

She noted that about 60 percent of people who had been isolated had already been discharged.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Russia to provide more information about the case.

“I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” Rubio told reporters in Reykjavik.

“We’re watching it very closely, hour by hour.”

Fears of pneumonic plague emerged after reports that Shipilova, a laboratory worker at a facility specializing in plague research, had died following severe pneumonia. Russian authorities, however, have not confirmed that she had plague and have said her death was caused by pneumonia of unknown origin.

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have increased sanitary and epidemiological checks at their borders with Russia as a precaution. Kazakhstan said the risk of the infection being imported remained low and that no suspected cases had been detected at its border.

The White House has also said it is monitoring reports about the case. A White House spokesperson said Monday, “The Trump administration is aware of the outbreak, is monitoring it, and is evaluating possible courses of action.”