The United States is closely monitoring the case of a lab technician who died at a plague research center in Siberia, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While expressing concern about the potential for the spread of pneumonic plague, Rubio stated there is currently no cause for alarm.
Irkutsk's governor announced the cause of death as "pneumonia of undetermined etiology," adding that "no micro-organisms" linked to the woman's work were found in her biological samples. Unconfirmed reports had suggested the technician, identified by Russian media as Daria and in her late twenties, fell ill after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen or following a field trip to a region where plague is naturally found among rodents.
The Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East, founded over 100 years ago in response to a 1920s outbreak, was inspected by a biological safety team. Russia's consumer and health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, reported that no emergency situation was found at the institute. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor and avoid "rumors."
Russian media reported that nearly 200 people who had contact with the deceased woman were placed under medical observation as a precaution. The woman had recently visited the Buryatia region, bordering Mongolia, an area where the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is found among rodents like marmots.
Dr. Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, explained that pneumonic plague is nearly always fatal if untreated but can be overcome with antibiotics. He noted that pneumonic plague can transmit from person to person, which is the source of concern. Clarke also commented on the possibility of the pathogen being studied for potential bioweapon use, though he considered other explanations more likely.
"If something like that gets out, it can quickly spread," Rubio told reporters. "So we're watching and monitoring it closely. I don't think it's cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and the cause to just keep an eye on it and we're doing that."