MOSCOW — The sudden death of a laboratory worker at a Russian research institute that studies plague has triggered quarantines, international monitoring and renewed concern about one of history’s deadliest infectious diseases.
The World Health Organization confirmed Tuesday that it is investigating reports involving a worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East who died Oct. 2 after developing severe pneumonia.
Russian authorities have not officially confirmed that the woman died from plague, and laboratory testing remains underway, according to WHO. The agency said it is communicating directly with Russian health authorities to determine what happened and whether there are broader public-health implications.
The case has attracted international attention because Russian media reports have suggested the worker may have contracted pneumonic plague, one of the most dangerous forms of infection caused by Yersinia pestis — the same bacterium responsible for the disease historically associated with the Black Death.
But despite some alarming headlines and social-media descriptions, health authorities have not identified a “new Black Plague.”
Plague itself is not new and has never completely disappeared.
WHO says Yersinia pestis continues to circulate naturally among small mammals and their fleas in parts of the world. Human infection can occur through infected flea bites, contact with infected tissue or inhalation of infectious respiratory particles.
What makes the Russian case unusual is where the woman worked.
The Irkutsk institute specializes in researching plague and other dangerous infectious diseases. Russian media reports have alleged that the 28-year-old laboratory worker may have been exposed after a test tube containing plague bacteria broke.
That account has not been independently or officially confirmed.
Russian officials have disputed suggestions that a laboratory accident caused the woman’s death. Authorities have described her illness as “pneumonia of unknown origin” and have urged the public to rely on official information while testing continues.
At the same time, Russian authorities have taken significant precautions.
Reports indicate contacts of the woman have been identified and monitored, while dozens of colleagues and other potential contacts have faced quarantine measures. WHO said Tuesday that none of the identified contacts had developed symptoms at the time of its update.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is also monitoring the situation.
The agency said there have been no reported secondary cases and no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission. It noted that pneumonic plague can spread through respiratory droplets but generally requires close and prolonged contact with a symptomatic infected person.
What is pneumonic plague?
There are several forms of plague.
Bubonic plague, historically associated with the Black Death, typically causes fever and severely swollen lymph nodes known as buboes.
Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and is particularly dangerous because it can spread from person to person through respiratory particles.
Without treatment, pneumonic and septicemic plague can be fatal. Unlike during the medieval Black Death, however, modern medicine has an important weapon that did not exist centuries ago: antibiotics.
WHO says antibiotic treatment is effective against plague and that early diagnosis and treatment can save lives.
That distinction is important as dramatic comparisons to the Black Death circulate online.
The medieval plague pandemic killed enormous numbers of people in Europe, Asia and North Africa centuries before antibiotics, modern infection-control procedures and today’s disease-surveillance systems existed.
There is currently no evidence that Russia is experiencing anything comparable.
WHO said the available information indicates the risk to Russia’s general population appears low, while the risk outside the country has been characterized as very low. The agency said that assessment could change as additional laboratory results become available.
U.S. officials are watching closely.
The Washington Post reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State Department and other federal agencies are seeking additional information about the Russian case and the quarantines surrounding it.
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that his administration was examining the reports and said the United States would assist Russia if necessary.
For now, the biggest unanswered question remains the most basic one:
What killed the Russian laboratory worker?
Until laboratory results establish whether Yersinia pestis was involved, claims that a new Black Death has emerged from Russia go beyond the evidence currently available.
But the combination of a sudden death, a laboratory specializing in dangerous pathogens and precautionary quarantines has been enough to draw the attention of health agencies around the world.
And until Russian authorities provide definitive test results, those agencies will be watching Siberia closely.
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