Get you up to speed: Should we be worried about Russia’s ‘plague’ outbreak? | News World
Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old researcher at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, died on October 1 from an illness described as pneumonia of unknown origin. Following her death, parts of Shelekhov Hospital were quarantined and nearly 200 individuals who had contact with her are under medical observation, with no confirmed signs of illness.
Parts of Shelekhov Hospital have been quarantined following the treatment of Daria Shipilova, with nearly 200 individuals under medical observation, none of whom have shown signs of illness. The Russian public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, has stated that the situation is under control and is monitoring developments closely.
Russian health officials have stated that the situation following the death of Daria Shipilova is under control, with no traces of plague found in post-mortem tests. Nearly 200 individuals who had contact with Shipilova are currently under medical observation, but none have exhibited signs of illness.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain whether Daria Shipilova’s infection was confirmed as pneumonic plague or if there are any suspected secondary cases.
Questions raised over Russian lab worker’s death linked to plague outbreak
A woman working for the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East died of a ‘plague’ (Picture: The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research)
A lab worker infected with an ‘unknown’ pathogen after dropping a test tube. Hospitals under lockdown.
It sounds like the beginning of a zombie film, but this is what’s currently happening in Shelekhov, a town in Siberia, Russia.
Daria Shipilova, 28, died on October 1 of what Russia’s public health agency has called a ‘pneumonia of unknown’ origin.
Shipilova was a researcher at an anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk, which examines high-risk bacterial and viral infections.
The undisclosed illness has come to be described by news outlets as the ‘Russian plague’.
But is it anything to worry about? WTX spoke with health experts to find out.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Did Daria Shipilova die of the plague then?
Daria Shipilova may be Russia’s first fatal pneumonic plague case in years (Picture: Daria Shipilova/e2w)
We’re not sure yet. Russian news outlet People of Baikal reported that Shipilova broke a test tube, though inspections found none of the pathogens clinicians are working with in her body.
Telegram outlet Baza said Shipilova fell ill returning from Buryatia, where an outbreak erupted among squirrels, but local officials deny this.
What we know for sure is that parts of Shelekhov Hospital, where Shipilova was treated for two days, were quarantined.
Nearly 200 people who came into contact with Shipilova have been placed under medical observation, according to Russia’s REN TV. None have shown signs of illness.
This response is to be expected, says Professor Malick Gibani, an infectious diseases expert at Imperial College London.
‘It’s not clear to me if this is a confirmed case or if there are any recognised suspected secondary cases,’ he tells WTX. ‘Hopefully, the information will come out in time.’
What is the difference between the bubonic plague and pneumonic plague?
Rospotrebnadzor has said the situation was under control (Picture: Igor IVANKO/AFP/Getty Images)
Shipilova reportedly died of pneumonic plague, which infests the lungs.
The disease is the rarest but most infectious of the three types of plague, all caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
‘Pneumonic plague is generally considered a severe disease and is of public health interest because there can be person-to-person spread,’ says Professor Gibani.
It lurks inside respiratory droplets, the mucus spluttered when a person coughs or sneezes.
What are the symptoms of the pneumonic plague?
High fevers
Shortness of breath
Shaking chills
Pneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs
Hedaches
Chest pain
Bloody or watery mucus.
The pneumonic form of plague kills faster than the better-known bubonic plague, otherwise called the Black Death in the Middle Ages.
This plague is zoonotic, spreading to humans by fleas that bite an infected rat, then a human.
Bubonic plague causes the lymph nodes – glands that act as the janitors of our bodies, removing germs and waste products – to swell, called buboes.
It sometimes spirals into pneumonic plague as the breakdown of lymph nodes leads to bacteria spreading to the lungs.
The third type of plague is septicemic, which occurs when the infection spreads to the bloodstream.
The mortality rate is nearly 100% for pneumonic and septicemic forms and around 60% for bubonic, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Does pneumonic plague pose a pandemic risk?
Plague labs help develop new treatments and cures (Picture: Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute/e2)
Professor Brendan Wren is the co-director of the Vaccine Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
His answer to the above question was short: ‘Not really but we need to monitor.’
Yersinia pestis is not nearly as transmissible as SARS-CoV-2, the wily virus behind the Covid pandemic, Professor Wren adds.
‘Plague is still endemic in many parts of the world,’ he says, using a term for a regional outbreak of an illness, ‘including western parts of the US.
A map of where the plague has been reported in recent years (Picture: World Health Organization)
‘So there shouldn’t be too much concern, as the transmission of Yersinia pestis between humans is generally poor.’
Professor Gibani agrees, suggesting that the UKHSA is probably monitoring the Russia situation like the US is.
‘Of course there have been historical plague pandemics – we all learn about it in school! – and it would be fair to say that plague is the archetypal bacterial pandemic pathogen,’ he says.
‘Unlike previous plague pandemics, however, we’re now operating in an area where we have effective treatments, diagnostics, and some, albeit as yet unlicensed, preventative measures, like vaccines currently in development.’
Wait, so there is a treatment for the plague?
Yes. Antibiotics – drugs that kill or slow the growth of bacteria – are effective if the patient is diagnosed early.
Early treatment can be the difference between life and death for plague patients.
This is why anti-plague labs, like the one Shipilova worked at, are vital, adds Professor Wren.
Antibiotics are used to treat plague patients (Picture: Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute/e2)
Some plague strains are starting to resist antibiotics and if Shipilova was exposed to one, her treatment options would have been limited.
‘Generally, to make improved vaccines that could be used in regions of the world where plague is endemic,’ Professor Wren says.
‘If Yersinia pestis was weaponised, a vaccine for military personnel may be desirable.’
The UKHSA has been approached for comment.
Comment now
Comments
Add WTX as a Preferred Source on Google