The Kremlin's hermeticism fuels concern about the possible outbreak of plague in Siberia

MoscowWhatever the truth may be regarding what is happening in Siberia with the possible case of pneumonic plague, the Kremlin has chosen to manage information with an eyedropper. The Russian health authority asserts that the epidemiological situation in Irkutsk is “calm,” following the death last Friday of Daria Shipilova, a researcher at the Research Institute for Plague Control, due to a fulminant respiratory illness. The World Health Organization considers the risk to Europe to be “very low,” but, like the United States, it is annoyed by Moscow's opacity, as it continues to not clarify what the laboratory worker died from.

The version from Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian public health body, is that 90% of the people who had been in contact with the victim are no longer under medical surveillance nor have they shown symptoms of any dangerous infection. It also maintains that Shipilova was vaccinated against the plague and that all corresponding safety protocols were followed. And, finally, it makes it clear that the WHO has been informed of the situation.

However, these explanations do not seem to fully convince the United Nations health agency. Its director-general, Tedros Adhanom, has lamented that it "does not yet have a complete picture" of the facts or what motivated the quarantines and lockdowns in hospitals in the area, and he has explained that they are trying to verify rumors about a second positive case of plague. This news, spread in some foreign media, is not reported in any of the local Russian newspapers that are closely following the case, and the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has described it as “false.” Nevertheless, the WHO reminds that the exchange of “complete, transparent, and timely” information is an obligation under the international health regulations, which is key to avoiding misunderstandings and potential health risks.

Washington has also sent a formal request to the Russian government to clear up all doubts regarding the episode, while awaiting a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, likely this Wednesday. The US embassy in Moscow has issued an alert to its citizens in Russia that has caused some alarm: the diplomatic mission claims to have learned of the suspicious plague case through the press and recommends that Americans in Irkutsk follow the instructions of local health authorities, avoid hospitals, and see a doctor immediately if they have a fever or respiratory problems. At the same time, it advises all Americans to leave the country, although this is a general recommendation that has been in place for years due to the risk of “arbitrary detention” and “security concerns.” Neighboring Mongolia has also ordered “monitoring” of the border as a precaution.

Uncertainty in Irkutsk

Meanwhile, in Irkutsk, the lack of explanations forces the inhabitants to make conjectures. Neighbors of the block where Shipilova lived have explained to the local media Liudi Baikala that, on the day of her death, Rospotrebnadzor personnel in orange biological protection suits disinfected the building, and disinfected it again twice in the following days. The secret service escort for the ambulances transporting the victim's contacts also suggests that this is a potentially serious case.

Panic has spread in the city. Doctors speak unofficially of a case of pneumonic plague, while residents rush to pharmacies to stockpile antibiotics and even cause fights in some shops. A health source points out to the newspaper that it is not credible that there has not been an outbreak, given the reaction of the authorities. He admits that it might not be this pathogen, but rather some other dangerous bacterium. Experts also question Rospotrebnadzor's claim that Shipilova's illness is not related to her work. Nevertheless, the young woman's colleagues see the theory that she was contaminated when a test tube broke as unlikely. They argue that the safety measures and protocols in the laboratory are extreme.