In Irkutsk Oblast, a scientific institute lab assistant died of plague. Now the city is on edge

As the publication "Lyudi Baikala" found out, on September 25, the woman broke a test tube containing the pathogen for pulmonary plague. Soon after, she felt unwell and was hospitalized in the Shelekhov hospital. She spent three days there and died on the night of October 2.

Two years prior, Shipilova graduated with honors from the residency program at Irkutsk State Medical University, specializing in "Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics."

After her hospitalization, the tracing of contacts began. According to sources of the publication, on October 1, about 90 people who had contact with Shipilova were quarantined in a center previously used for COVID-19 patients. As of October 2, the number of isolated individuals increased to approximately 200. Residents of Shelekhov also noticed people in protective suits, masks, and gloves on the streets. According to them, masks were also distributed in kindergartens.

On the evening of October 1, a meeting took place in Irkutsk involving the heads of security and administrative structures. Since October 1, FSB officers, according to sources of "Lyudi Baikala," began escorting ambulances transporting people who had contact with Shipilova for examination.

Journalists spoke with a doctor familiar with the treatment of severe infections. He explained that plague is treated with large doses of antibiotics. According to him, there are two main forms of the disease — bubonic and pneumonic. The bubonic form can be contracted, for example, through a rodent bite, and it is not transmitted from person to person. The pneumonic form, however, can be transmitted between people and is highly contagious.

The doctor noted that in the event of a particularly dangerous infection, information may not be disseminated immediately. Restrictions on entry and exit may be imposed, and law enforcement agencies may be involved in carrying out quarantine measures. Medical workers, meanwhile, usually do not have the right to comment on the situation to journalists independently. Information from the hospital should be provided by an authorized press secretary.

According to the specialist, this level of quarantine is introduced for a very limited number of particularly dangerous infections, including plague and smallpox. Diagnostics in such cases are handled by large specialized institutes, and experts from other cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, may be involved in the investigation.

After a suspicion of a dangerous infection is detected, the relevant services transmit the information through the proper channels, the department may be closed, and an epidemiological investigation begins. Specialists take the necessary tests and conduct examinations. According to the doctor, after cultures and the identification of the pathogen, it can take about six days to get results.

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