A laboratory worker at a Siberian anti-plague institute died of pneumonia of undetermined origin, and Russian authorities say no work-related pathogen was found.
A laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia died after a pneumonia of undetermined origin, Russian health authorities said. CNN reported the worker was a 28-year-old technician and that local media named her Darya Shipilova.
Rospotrebnadzor said no micro-organisms linked to her professional duties were detected in samples. Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said no other institute staff had sought care since the death, and the watchdog said an inspection found no emergency at the institute.
Dozens of people were reported in isolation, and the hospital where she was treated limited admissions and discharges, according to CNN. Unconfirmed accounts differ on whether she fell ill after a laboratory incident or after travel to Buryatia, where plague occurs in wild rodents.
President Donald Trump said the United States was looking at the case. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was watching closely but there was no cause for alarm. The World Health Organization said the public-health risk to the general population appeared low based on unofficial information, according to the Times of India citing WHO.
Authorities have not published a confirmed pathogen. European officials have said they are monitoring the reports.