Plague in Russia sparks concern, COVID-19 pandemic memories: 5 things to know
The Hill · C · trust 47/100
Comments: by Joseph Choi - 10/06/26 8:10 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Joseph Choi - 10/06/26 8:10 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING The death of Russian lab technician researching the plague has set off alarms abroad and at home as observers note resemblances to the conditions that some theorized preceded the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reports emerged last week that a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East had died shortly after being hospitalized.
The news put the international community on high alert, with the U.S. reaching out to offer assistance. Though Russian authorities have so far downplayed the seriousness of the incident.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it asked Russian authorities on Oct. 3 for information to assess the risk, receiving a response soon after denying reports the lab worker had caught the deadly disease.
The infection and death occurring in close proximity to a laboratory researching infectious diseases is evoking concerns of another potential outbreak like that of COVID-19, though the origins of that pandemic have still yet to be determined.
Here are five things to know about the situation in Russia.
Igor Kobzev, governor of the Irkutsk region, said on a Russian social media platform that the employee had died of “pneumonia of unknown etiology” — adding that no pathogens linked to their work were detected in samples taken from the patient. No other employees have reported illnesses in the past 10 days.
Local media have identified the laboratory worker as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, though Russian authorities have yet to confirm this.
According to Kobzev, individuals who had contact with the research institute worker have been identified, examined and are currently under medical observation — involving daily laboratory testing.
The Moscow Times reported that nearly 200 people are currently under medical observation following his death. The outlet cited Russian media reporting that the laboratory worker had told hospital staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria.
Th plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. In the modern day, it is often associated with The Black Plague that spread throughout Europe in the 14th century.
Bubonic plague and pneumonic plague are caused by the same bacteria, with the latter developing when bubonic plague goes untreated. The term “bubonic” refers to bubos, or swollen lymph nodes, that are caused by plague infections , while pneumonic refers to the pneumonia-like illness it can progress to.
Jeanne Marrazzo , CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America , told The Hill plague infections are easily treatable today with common antibiotics like ciprofloxacin.
“You can treat that, and people do fine. It’s not like it’s a death sentence. It doesn’t mean it’s going to go septic,” said Marrazzo, who formerly led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
“It can go IV septic, which means it sort of goes crazy across the body, and that’s when people really get into trouble. But it only happens about 10 percent of the time,” she added. “The really scary thing is the is the pneumonic form of the disease, and this is when you directly inhale it.”
The plague is rarely transmitted from person-to-person, but when it becomes pneumonic and reaches a person’s lungs, that is when it can spread through such interactions. An incubation period for the infection can be less than a day.
Marrazzo emphasized that the current risk to Americans is extremely low, noting that people are much more likely to be infected by a seasonal respiratory virus than the plague at this time.
President Trump responded to news of the laboratory worker’s death in Russia, calling pneumonic plague a “rough disease” and saying the U.S. would assist the country if needed.
“I hate to see them having it,” Trump told reporters. “Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we’re always willing to help.”
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a statement Monday that it is “closely monitoring the situation.”
“Based on the limited information currently available, there are no reports of secondary cases and no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission that would cause further spread of the disease,” the ECDC noted.
Russia’s Central Asian neighbors — including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan — have implemented closer border checks on people on entering their countries in response to the death.
As NIAID’s past director, Marrazzo said she expects her former agency is “all hands on deck” determining how to handle the plague case.
“We would be on the phone nonstop as much as we could or needed to be with our international partners, because you’ve seen some reassuring comments from WHO and some other people, and that’s really who you would expect to be fronting their response in this case,” Marrazzo said.
While Russia responded promptly to its inquiries, the WHO said in a statement that it is seeking more information on the situation in Irkutsk.
“WHO has requested additional information from Russia on which pneumonia-causing pathogen led to the woman’s death. WHO is following the situation closely, keeping other countries informed, and ready to support the Russian authorities if they ask,” the WHO said.
314 Action, a political action committee dedicated to getting Democratic scientists into office, called on Trump to demand more transparency from Russian President Vladimir Putin following the plague death.
“If this administration is serious about protecting Americans, Trump and Rubio should demand full transparency…
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