There was an outbreak of plague in Russia: the authorities are trying to hide the real extent of the danger

In the Irkutsk region of Russia, anti-epidemic measures have been tightened after the death of an employee of the anti-plague institute due to suspicion of plague. In Shelekhov, a mask regime was introduced at the aluminum plant, and 197 people who may have been in contact with the deceased were placed under medical supervision.

This is reported by Russian media.

Daria Shipilova worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. According to one version, on September 25, she may have broken a test tube with the plague pathogen in the laboratory, after which she developed symptoms of the disease.

Another version suggests that the woman could have become infected during a work trip to Buryatia, where a plague outbreak had previously been recorded on the border with Mongolia. On September 29, Shipilova was hospitalized with symptoms of pneumonia and was connected to a ventilator. She died a few days later.

After the woman’s death, people who may have been in contact with her were placed under medical supervision. A total of 197 contacts were identified, 189 of whom were hospitalized.

According to widespread reports, 114 contact persons are in one medical facility, 63 in another, and another 12 in the anti-plague institute. In addition, quarantine has been introduced in the Shelekhovskaya district hospital. Russian journalists also reported on restrictions on the work of several hospitals in Irkutsk.

A mandatory mask regime has been introduced at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant in Shelekhov. The company’s director, Artem Fominykh, called it a preventive measure amid conflicting information about the situation.

According to The Sun , the governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, also announced the cancellation of public events, but did not directly state the reason for this decision.

Some reports of the situation are accompanied by claims of panic among the population and a shortage of antibiotics. However, these data require separate confirmation.

Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, also arrived in Irkutsk. Her visit is said to be related to checking the epidemiological situation in the region.

Russian epidemiologist Mikhail Favorov was skeptical about the version about the laboratory incident with Shipilova. “The version about a broken test tube is simply ridiculous, because specialists work in protective suits. Currently, there is a large-scale concealment of facts from the public,” Favorov said.

At the same time, the official version of the Russian authorities differs from some media reports. On October 4, Rospotrebnadzor stated that laboratory tests did not detect the plague pathogen in the deceased’s biomaterials.

According to the agency, Shipilova’s official diagnosis is pneumonia of unknown etiology. Rospotrebnadzor also stated that 2 cases of COVID-19 and 2 cases of rhinovirus infection were identified among the contact persons, and no other infectious disease agents were identified.

Previously, the governor of the Irkutsk region stated that no signs of plague were found in people who had contact with the deceased.

Thus, information about a possible plague outbreak in the region remains contradictory: reports of quarantine and increased anti-epidemic measures are confirmed, but the Russian sanitary agency does not confirm the diagnosis of plague in the deceased employee of the anti-plague institute.

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