Russian plague lab employee death: how worried should we be?

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By Emma Wilkinson

The US has said it is “closely monitoring” the case of a Russian laboratory worker who died last week after a reported accident at a plague research institute in Siberia.

Amidst speculation, conflicting reports and changing accounts from local and national Russian officials, the incident has led to much media coverage.

The World Health Organization (WHO) this week added to calls for more details.

Doctors.net.uk looks at what is known about the incident, and what are experts saying about the risk?

What is known about the death?

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee at the anti-plague institute in the city of Irkutsk, became ill at work. She was admitted to hospital in the nearby town of Shelekhov and placed on a ventilator but died two days later on the night of 2 October.

Early reports in the Russian media suggested Shipilova may have been infected after a mishap at the laboratory, but these have not been confirmed.