NO EVIDENCE: WHO finds no evidence of plague transmission after Siberian laboratory worker’s death

UK News NO EVIDENCE WHO finds no evidence of plague transmission after Siberian laboratory worker’s death Bill Dale The World Health Organisation has said it has found no evidence of ongoing transmission following the unexplained death of a worker at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia.

Darya Shipilova, 28, died on October 2 after being admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia while working at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute.

Russian authorities have recorded her death as pneumonia of undetermined cause and have told the WHO that testing found no evidence of plague or other high-threat pathogens.

However, the WHO says the precise cause of her death remains unknown.

In an update published on October 10, the WHO said Russian authorities had informed it that no recent case of plague had been registered in the Irkutsk region.

The organisation said: “Based on the information provided… WHO has not identified evidence of ongoing transmission associated with this event.”

It added that the absence of a confirmed diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker remained a “key uncertainty”.

Russian authorities said Shipilova and identified contacts had been tested for a broad range of respiratory and bacterial infections, including plague.

No high-threat pathogens were detected, according to information supplied to the WHO.

Approximately 200 people identified as contacts were placed under medical observation following Shipilova’s death.

Russian officials said all remained asymptomatic and no further cases of severe pneumonia linked to the incident were identified.

Testing of contacts did detect several unrelated infections, including cases of Covid-19 and rhinovirus, but authorities said these were not connected to any dangerous pathogen being studied at the institute.

Medical monitoring of the contacts has since been discontinued.

Initial reports had suggested Shipilova may have been exposed to pneumonic plague during a laboratory accident.

Russian authorities have rejected those reports and told the WHO that two investigations found no biosafety or biosecurity incident at the institute.

They also said Shipilova had been appropriately vaccinated against the high-threat pathogens she worked with and that plague was not identified as the cause of her death.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier in the week that the organisation had asked Russia for more information, including clarification over reports that a second institute employee had developed pneumonia of unknown cause.

Russian authorities subsequently denied reports of a linked second case.

The WHO said it has not identified evidence of any additional severe pneumonia cases associated with Shipilova’s death. Cause of death remains unresolved

Pneumonic plague had initially been suspected because Shipilova worked at a facility specialising in dangerous infectious diseases.

Pneumonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and can spread through infectious respiratory particles during close contact. Early antibiotic treatment can be effective.

For now, however, there is no confirmed evidence that Shipilova had plague and no evidence of an associated outbreak.

The WHO said it will continue monitoring the situation as further clinical and laboratory information becomes available.

We are your go-to destination for breaking UK news, real-life stories from communities across the country, striking images, and must-see video from the heart of the action.

SIGN UP NOW FOR YOUR FREE DAILY BREAKING NEWS AND PICTURES NEWSLETTER