Russia’s health authority dismissed claims on Thursday that a second person had fallen sick following the death of a worker at a plague research facility in Siberia. The Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) stated that all individuals who had contact with the deceased worker had undergone preventive measures, and no harmful pathogens were found.
The 28-year-old lab employee, Daria Shipilova, passed away from pneumonia of unknown origin at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov. Russian officials clarified that Shipilova had been vaccinated against the dangerous infections she worked with, making her immune. The World Health Organization deemed the public health risk low but expressed the need for more information from Russian authorities.
Health Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are monitoring the situation, assuring minimal risk to their respective countries. The CDC has implemented surveillance and screening measures at John F. Kennedy International Airport for travelers from Siberia. Direct flights between Russia and the U.S. have been halted since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022.
