Irkutsk Plague Lab Death: US Presses Russia for Data

On Tuesday, October 6, the State Department sent Moscow a demarche, a formal diplomatic message requesting more information about the death of a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN. Russian authorities insist there is no plague in Irkutsk, American officials complain they are getting little information, and four Central Asian states are already checking their borders.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed the request and told CNN: “We have formally requested additional information from the Russian government. We are also in official communication with other countries around the world to share information.”

What is known about the death of Darya Shipilova?

The woman who died is Darya Shipilova (28), a technician at the institute. The independent regional outlet Lyudi Baikala reports that she was hospitalized on September 29. CNN writes that she is believed to have died at a hospital in Shelekhov, a town about 19 kilometers southwest of Irkutsk, late last week. A friend told that outlet it happened on October 2 but did not confirm other details. Al Jazeera, citing Russian media, reports that she died on Friday, with pneumonic plague suspected. There are no officially confirmed dates.

CNN also reports unconfirmed claims that she fell ill after a possible laboratory leak or after traveling to another region.

What does Russia say about the cause of death?

Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian consumer protection agency, said the cause of death was pneumonia of unknown origin and that no case of plague was found among employees who had contact with her over the past ten days. According to Al Jazeera, the agency says it identified as wide a circle of people around her as possible and placed them under hospital medical supervision with daily laboratory tests.

The institute stated that the autopsy found no microorganisms linked to her work, that two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus were detected, and that no pathogens of other infectious diseases were found. Al Jazeera notes it is unclear whether this means the death has nothing to do with plague. This is the institute’s claim, and there is no independent confirmation.

Elena Sofina, deputy head of the Shelekhov district, where one hospital has been placed under quarantine, said no “dangerous diagnosis” has been confirmed and that 60 percent of those isolated as a precaution have already been released. Local media earlier wrote about roughly 200 people in quarantine, and according to CNN about 60 institute employees have been isolated. Al Jazeera’s headline says Russian authorities deny introducing anti-plague measures, while the same article quotes the deputy head on the quarantine at the Shelekhov hospital.

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the risk outside Russia is very low, and in Geneva officials said Moscow told them there are no plague cases in the city of Irkutsk.

How is Washington reacting?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday: “It is up to Russia to share more information with the world.” He added right away: “Maybe the situation is more serious than we thought. We don’t know, but I think it would be irresponsible at this point, given the limited information we still have, to speculate.”

American officials were in touch with the Russian government as early as last Friday, including an exchange between State Department health experts and the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Rubio hoped the limited exchange of information would change “in the coming hours and days.” According to CNN, the administration publicly plays down the immediate danger and reminds the public that pneumonic plague is treatable with antibiotics, but there is serious concern behind the scenes. Until it learns more, Washington is not introducing travel restrictions, and it already advises citizens not to travel to Russia for other reasons, including the possibility of arbitrary detention and the war in Ukraine.

American officials are also trying to determine whether the pathogen has been altered, which could change how the US and other countries respond. One American official told CNN: “Right now we don’t know much about what actually happened. But there is one thing most of us are pretty sure of: the Russians will behave like the Chinese did during COVID. They won’t be transparent.”

What measures have been introduced in the region and in Irkutsk hospitals?

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have introduced quarantine checks at border crossings, and Uzbekistan said it has “increased readiness” of its authorities for highly contagious diseases. China, according to reports, has not introduced additional measures, and CNN found, using FlightRadar24 data, that no flight from Irkutsk to China has been canceled. CNN asked Chinese customs and the Foreign Ministry whether Beijing plans border measures, and the country was on a public holiday at the time.

At the Irkutsk City Perinatal Center, CNN learned, patients fill out a questionnaire titled “Checklist for suspected especially dangerous infectious disease - plague.” Blogger Ulyana Gavryunina (29) of Angarsk told the outlet that in her 40th week of pregnancy she had to switch maternity hospitals because her husband can no longer be with her at the birth under the new restrictions. Staff did not mention plague to her, only an unidentified “new virus.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov continues to refer journalists to the health service, and the Kremlin urges citizens not to rely on “rumors and speculation.”

A call to Putin and a sanctions deadline

President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he would be ready to help Russia: “It’s a tough disease, it’s a disease we were able to control, but somehow these germs have become stronger and smarter. They’re like an army.” On Tuesday he announced a conversation with Vladimir Putin and, asked what US intelligence agencies know about the case, answered: “We’ll be able to report on that, probably tomorrow.” That is today.

According to the AP, the call is announced as the Trump administration faces an October 18 deadline to decide which Russian entities to sanction under a law he signed on September 18. Ukraine has given Washington and Congress a list of Russian companies, ships and individuals it wants to see on that list.

The institute in Irkutsk was founded in 1934 and monitors the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which still circulates among wild animals in parts of Siberia. According to its website, it employs about 95 researchers and also studies cholera, anthrax and brucellosis.