WHO says no plague case in Irkutsk after lab worker's death; experts question Russia's response

Russian authorities told the World Health Organization that no case of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk, the agency said, after media reports that a researcher at a local laboratory studying plague and other infectious diseases had died of suspected pneumonic plague. A WHO spokesperson told Newsweek that Russian authorities said the woman's illness first looked like a typical acute respiratory viral infection. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

The researcher died last week after developing pneumonia, according to TIME. Newsweek identified her as anti-plague researcher Daria Shipilova. Media reports on October 2 said she worked at a research laboratory in Irkutsk and that nearly 200 contacts were under medical observation and being tested. CNN reported that close to 200 people were under observation and that the White House was monitoring the situation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

The WHO said it requested information from Russian authorities on October 3 under the International Health Regulations, the framework governing reporting of potential public health emergencies. The agency said it has asked for additional information on which pneumonia-causing pathogen led to the woman's death and remains ready to assist Russian authorities if needed. TIME reported that on Tuesday evening the WHO asked Russia for more information following media reports of a second case of pneumonia of unknown cause. [ 2 , 3 ]

Some experts said the information available did not resolve the case. Dr. Ashish Jha, an infectious disease and biosecurity expert, told CNN that Russia's lack of transparency was concerning, saying: “until we get more information, I think we have to assume that there is something more going on than what we're seeing.” Dr. Amesh A. Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security told Newsweek that the Soviet Union had an offensive biological weapons program that dated back decades and that some anti-plague institutes were part of it, adding: “Just because there's plague on the door doesn't mean that's the only thing they work on. They work on many different biological agents there.” Newsweek reported that there is no evidence a biological weapon was involved, while some experts said the scale of the reported response raised questions about whether officials were investigating a different, unidentified infectious agent. [ 1 , 2 ]

Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, told TIME that the pattern of events does not fit neatly with a laboratory accident involving a known bacterium. She said laboratories that study Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, have protocols for accidental exposure, that personal protective equipment and fume hoods offer protection, and that antibiotics are an effective treatment, adding that a lab exposure “would be a regrettable accident that sometimes occurs.” She said the magnitude and severity of the reported response was also worth examining, referring to reports that up to 200 people were under observation and that local hospitals had been closed, and noted that it could be bureaucratic reflexes. [ 3 ]

Accounts of how the researcher became ill differ. Local reports suggested she broke a test tube containing plague bacteria; Russian authorities disputed that account and told the WHO that plague had not been detected in her tests or in those of her close contacts. The documents do not state a confirmed cause of death, and the WHO's request for details on the pathogen remained open at the time of publication. [ 2 , 3 ]