Russian authorities said they had completed medical monitoring of everyone who came into contact with Darya Shipilova, a Siberian anti-plague institute worker who died on Oct. 2. The cause of her pneumonia remains undetermined, and officials have not definitively said whether plague could have caused her death.
Regional authorities and Russia’s public health watchdog said monitoring found no serious infections among the woman’s contacts. They also said dangerous pathogens were not detected in nearly 5,000 samples. Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev said specialists had examined the situation thoroughly.
Shipilova, 28, worked at a research institute focused on plague in Siberia. Russian officials previously said she died of pneumonia of unknown origin. They also said she had been vaccinated and that no microorganisms related to her work were found in her body.
The World Health Organization asked Russia for details about the laboratory tests conducted and the pathogens examined. WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said the organization wanted more information, including an explanation of the cause of death if plague had been ruled out. Russia said it had supplied the WHO with information under established procedures.
Pneumonia can result from a range of bacterial infections and respiratory viruses, including influenza and COVID-19. Pneumonic plague is the most severe form of plague, but Russian authorities have not confirmed or ruled it out as the cause of death.