Official Russian health authorities on Thursday denied reports of a possible second case of infection linked to an employee of the plague research institute in Siberia who died last week.
The country's health regulator stated in a declaration distributed by Russian information agencies that all contacts of the deceased woman were checked. None of them showed signs of infectious disease, and nearly 5,000 laboratory tests did not detect dangerous pathogens.
This case attracted international attention because the woman, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, died on October 2 after hospitalization with pneumonia of unknown cause. Russian authorities reported that tests did not find microorganisms related to her work, and reports that she died of plague remain unconfirmed.
Pneumonic plague occurs when plague bacteria infect the lungs. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that this form is particularly contagious and 'can trigger severe epidemics through human-to-human transmission via respiratory particles.'
According to the WHO, pneumonic plague 'can be fatal within 18–24 hours of the onset of the disease if untreated, but common antibiotics for enterobacteria can effectively cure the illness if administered in time.'