No cases of plague have been identified among individuals who came into contact with a Siberian plague institute worker who died on Friday, according to Russia’s health watchdog on Tuesday.
In a statement, the monitoring body Rospotrebnadzor confirmed that no infectious illnesses had been reported among employees at the Irkutsk plague research facility over the past 10 days. Extensive medical testing further showed that no microorganisms connected to her professional duties were present in the deceased woman's body.
Elena Sofina, deputy head of the Shelekhov district near Irkutsk, where a local hospital was placed under quarantine, stated that a hazardous diagnosis was not confirmed. She added that approximately 60 per cent of those under quarantine have now been released.
Darya Shipilova, an employee at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, was previously reported to have been exposed to the bacteria after she accidentally broke a test tube containing the pathogen while she was collecting samples, according to The Kyiv Independent.
She was hospitalised on 29 September with severe pneumonia of "unknown origin” and placed on a ventilator, but died shortly after.
Russian authorities further told the World Health Organization on Tuesday that it has no cases of plague in the city of Irkutsk in Siberia. The WHO has previously said that the risk of plague to the general population appeared to be low.
Moscow, which is required under global health rules to respond to WHO requests within 24 hours, previously told the WHO that authorities were investigating whether pneumonic plague caused her death.
"No case of this dangerous disease has been recorded in the city of Irkutsk, Russian Federation," Russian authorities said in an official response to a WHO request, read out by WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier at a Geneva press briefing.
They also told the UN agency they have identified the people in contact with the deceased and that test results for dangerous infectious pathogens were negative.
Independent Russian outlet Lyudi Baikal reported that several hospitals in the city of Irkutsk had closed for a three-week quarantine.
At least 197 people suspected of having direct or indirect contact with the technician were placed under medical isolation, the newspaper reported. More than 100 of those individuals were being monitored in hospital wards.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomed US President Donald Trump's offer of assistance to help following the worker’s death.
"It's always good when mutual assistance is offered," Peskov told reporters. He said the public health watchdog was handling the situation and would provide further information as it became available.
Trump on Monday described the situation as a "big problem for Russia".