Terrifying Russian plague outbreak – signs, origin, loss of life and risk to UK
Fears are growing that Russia may be experiencing an outbreak of the plague, after a scientist who may have come into contact with the disease died and 200 were placed under medical observation
Fears are growing that Russia may have experienced a plague outbreak(Image: Luis Alvarez via Getty Images)
Fears of a terrifying plague outbreak are emerging in Russia after the mysterious death of a young scientist who worked at a facility specialising in deadly diseases.
Darya Shipilova, 28, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia before falling seriously ill with severe pneumonia and dying on Friday (October 2). Reports from both within Russia and across Europe have claimed the researcher may have accidentally broken a tube containing live plague bacteria days before she became ill, spreading fears that a plague may have escaped the lab.
Russian authorities have not confirmed the disease is spreading but have described her illness as pneumonia of unknown cause.
Darya Shipilova worked at a lab handling terrifying diseases before she died aged 29(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Despite this denial, the incident still sparked a major health response, with nearly 200 people who potentially came into contact with her reportedly being placed under medical observation and precautions introduced at several hospitals. It is not known whether any more diagnoses have been made.
The disease at the centre of the scare is plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis – the same bacteria responsible for the Black Death which devastated Europe during the Middle Ages.
What are the symptoms of plague?
There are several forms of the disease, but the one causing particular concern in Russia is pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, symptoms can include fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing. Patients will also often cough up bloody or watery mucus.
Unlike the more common bubonic form of plague, pneumonic plague can spread directly between humans through infectious respiratory particles, normally requiring close and prolonged contact.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing pneumonia (Image: Getty Images)
Symptoms of plague generally develop between one and seven days after infection. Without treatment, pneumonic plague is usually deadly. However, the disease is caused by bacteria rather than a virus and can therefore be successfully treated with antibiotics if caught quickly.
Could plague come to Britain?
The prospect of plague spreading through Britain remains extremely remote.
The UK Health Security Agency says plague is no longer found naturally in Britain and describes the probability of an infected traveller returning to the UK as “very low”.
Pneumonic plague is also considerably harder to transmit than highly contagious respiratory viruses such as Covid-19, usually requiring close contact with an infected person.
The UK says the risk remains “very low”
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said comparisons with the Covid pandemic should be treated with a bit of caution.
He said pneumonic plague was a “very different disease” emphasising that, unlike many viral respiratory illnesses, it can generally be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed quickly.
In a post on the University website published earlier today, he wrote: “Reports from Russia have inevitably drawn comparisons with Covid-19, but it is important to remember that pneumonic plague is a very different disease. It is caused by bacteria, Yersinia pestis, famous for causing the Black Death, that remains with us today mostly in animals across parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas.
It seems incredibly unlikely we’re heading for a serious bout of plague
“Pneumonic plague is particularly serious because it means the infection has reached the lungs and is nearly always fatal if not treated promptly. Unlike the bubonic plague which enters the body via infected flea bites, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact.
“Unlike many viral respiratory diseases, plague is caused by bacteria and is generally treatable with antibiotics if identified quickly.
For now there is also no confirmation that the Russian incident represents an outbreak at all, with Dr Clarke suggesting this theory seems somewhat far-fetched.
Dr Clarke is not convinced the death was caused by an outbreak (Image: PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou via Getty Images)
He said: “One claim attracting attention is that a laboratory worker may have been infected after breaking a test tube in the lab. It is not unheard of for pathogens to escape from labs, but an awful lot must have gone wrong for a lab worker to be infected by a broken test tube.
“Having worked in high-containment laboratories, I know that handling dangerous pathogens involves multiple layers of protection, strict procedures, safety cabinets, airflow systems and careful procedures carried out by well-trained staff. Lab-acquired infections are rare events, and a broken tube would not automatically lead to exposure or infection. We also don’t tend to use test tubes very much.
“Until more details emerge, it is difficult to assess whether this represents an isolated case, an occupational exposure, or evidence of wider transmission.
