Cause of Siberian Lab Worker’s Death Remains Unknown

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of a Siberian anti-plague research institute, died after developing severe pneumonia, but its cause remains unknown and plague has not been confirmed. Russian authorities say tests have found no dangerous pathogens among her contacts and report no epidemic risk in the region. Shipilova worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Russian authorities have not publicly identified what caused her illness or established a connection between it and her work. Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s health watchdog, said testing found no microorganisms linked to her professional activity and that an inspection found no accident involving dangerous pathogens at the institute. Authorities initially placed about 200 people who may have had contact with Shipilova under observation. Rospotrebnadzor later said roughly 90 had been released after nearly 5,000 tests. It reported no plague cases among the contacts and said monitoring had been completed. Those figures describe updates at different stages of the response.