The mother of a 28-year-old laboratory technician who died after falling ill at a Siberian anti-plague institute has denied reports that her daughter was infected after breaking a test tube containing deadly bacteria.
Darya Shipilova died on 2 October while working at the anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk. Local officials initially attributed her death to plague, but later withdrew those statements.
The Kremlin has said instead that she died from “pneumonia of unknown aetiology [origin]”.
Reports in local media claimed Ms Shipilova may have been exposed after breaking a test tube containing bacteria. Her mother, Svetlana Shipilova, a medical professional, rejected the account.
“I don’t want to read nasty things about my child. I know the truth,” she said.
Ms Shipilova added that such laboratory containers were designed to withstand severe impact. “Even hypothetically, it’s simply impossible to spill or break it. They are so heavily protected,” she said.
The family has been placed in quarantine and Ms Shipilova said she had not been able to bury her daughter as a result.
“Who is going to bury her if we are sitting here imprisoned?” she said.
Ms Shipilova described her daughter as a hard worker and “a pure, truly pure soul”, saying it was difficult to secure employment at the Irkutsk institute.
Several vehicles arrived outside the family’s two-storey apartment block at about 10pm on the night of Darya’s death, according to local reports. Workers in orange protective suits and gas masks treated both entrances with a strong-smelling chemical.
A resident said the fumes were so acrid that neighbours had to open doors because they could barely breathe. The operation was carried out by Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s health watchdog, and the building was disinfected twice more.
Workers reportedly told residents that “some girl died, a deadly dangerous virus”. The family home has also been disinfected by teams wearing protective equipment.
Reports of a second unconfirmed plague case in Siberia prompted the World Health Organisation to demand answers from Russia. The Kremlin continued to deny that an outbreak had been recorded, saying: “No case of this dangerous disease has been recorded in the city of Irkutsk.”
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It can occur in bubonic, pneumonic or septicemic forms, and is generally treated with antibiotics when identified early.
