Hundreds quarantined due to a mysterious infectious disease spreading in Russia

Hundreds of people have reportedly been quarantined after a woman who worked at a Russian research institute studying infectious diseases, including the plague, died from an undisclosed illness. The deceased was a 28-year-old laboratory technician who worked at the Siberian Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov.

According to Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's infectious disease agency, she was diagnosed with pneumonia of "unknown" origin and subsequently died. Local media identified her as Daria Shipilova, and her death was confirmed by officials last week.

However, Rospotrebnadzor has downplayed suggestions of a link between her death and her professional activities. "No microorganisms associated with the employee's professional duties were detected in the patient's samples," the agency stated, adding that the "epidemiological situation" in the region is stable. Nevertheless, Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova visited Irkutsk on Friday, local governor Igor Kobzev said. He stated on Telegram that it was a special meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission convened in connection with "an incident suspected of being a particularly dangerous infection affecting a resident of the region."

Maxim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhovsky district in eastern Russia near the Mongolian border, said local authorities are implementing "a wide range of anti-epidemic measures." The inpatient department of the hospital where the employee was treated has been quarantined, and the discharge of patients and admission of new patients in several of its departments have been suspended. According to local media reports, other hospitals in the region have also been closed. Modin said that no infectious diseases had been reported among the staff of the research institute in the past 10 days, and all those who had recent contact with the deceased employee are undergoing tests and medical examinations. Irkutsk authorities have also canceled the annual community cleanup program scheduled for the weekend, and local media have linked this decision to the incident. Unofficial reports, including from the independent local news agency 'Lyudi Baikala', state that nearly 200 people are under observation.

When CNN contacted the institute where the researcher worked on Monday, the institute declined to comment on the incident. According to the institute's website, it employs about 95 researchers and operates as a key public health institution responsible for monitoring and preventing outbreaks of high-risk bacterial and viral infections across Siberia and Russia's Far East. Ekaterina, a local resident, told CNN on Monday that while there was no visible change in the city, residents were concerned. "My acquaintances are a bit nervous," she said. Another resident, who declined to be named, said they were "shocked" by the news. In the Kremlin's only statement on the incident, it was stated that people should only trust the statements of official agencies. "Instead of listening to various rumors and speculation, one should rely on the official statements of Rospotrebnadzor," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring Republic of Buryatia, had previously stated that the employee "probably died of plague." However, he also mentioned that there was no spread of the disease in his region. Gennady Onishchenko, former head of Rospotrebnadzor, said on Friday that the infection in the Irkutsk region was "most likely not plague," 

and even if it were confirmed to be plague, there would be no spread of the disease. He also told the TASS state news agency that the onset of cold weather would help prevent disease transmission. An aluminum factory near the laboratory has instructed its employees to wear face masks as a precautionary measure. Artem Fominikh, director of the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant, stated that "conflicting reports" are circulating and urged calm. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the administration was closely monitoring the situation. "I don't think this is a cause for alarm. 

but it's something that needs attention and continued monitoring," he said. A US State Department spokesperson told CNN on Sunday that they were aware of a possible death from pneumonic plague in Russia. "We are closely monitoring the situation with the CDC and other interagency partners. Much information is still unconfirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly," he said. The World Health Organization told CNN that it is in contact with Russian health authorities to "verify" the incident, its circumstances, ongoing laboratory tests, and their results. "Based on available unofficial information, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low," the organization added. Despite such statements, several countries in the region have taken precautionary measures. The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan stated that although the risk is "very low," they are monitoring the situation and have implemented "sanitary and quarantine controls" at border crossing points. Uzbekistan has announced that its relevant authorities have "increased readiness" to deal with highly infectious diseases. 

Kyrgyzstan, which has no land border with Russia and is located about 1,500 miles from Irkutsk, also announced on Monday that it would introduce quarantine controls at state border crossing points. Alexander Chepurnov, a virologist in Siberia, told CNN that such strict procedures are being followed to prevent further spread of the infection. He said staff have been instructed to immediately report any suspected exposure, undergo disinfection, medical evaluation, and isolate themselves in a separate specialized facility for the entire period they might be infectious. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Organization for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that while pneumonic plague is deadly, it is not easily transmissible, 

and that a person needs to be exposed to a high bacterial load to become ill. She also noted that it is different from respiratory diseases like COVID. She added that plague is endemic among wildlife in some parts of Siberia. Pneumonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The other two types are typically spread through contact with infected fleas, animals, or infected tissue. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients with pneumonic plague can experience fever, headache, and weakness, as well as "rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery sputum." The World Health Organization states that although plague has a high mortality rate, it can be easily treated with antibiotics if detected in its early stages.

(Source: CNN)