Russian Plague

Concern has spread of a global outbreak of the plague after a Russian lab researcher working with the bacteria died on October 2nd from pneumonia.

A 28 year old woman by the name of Darya Shipilova reportedly died from pneumonia of unknown origin. Shipilova was a lab technician studying a variant of the plague at a Russian research institution. Russian officials took multiple days to respond, eventually coming out to say that this is not a health emergency. It was said that no traces of the deadly bacteria were found in Shipilova’s body. However, two hundred contacts were put into quarantine following her death.

The information given by Russia could likely be false, as the situation is still being investigated. Many are worried that the pneumonia that killed Shipilova was caused by the plague. When many people think of the plague, they think of the variant spread by fleas. This is the bubonic plague, which causes painful lymph nodes to form and swell on the skin. The variant being studied in the lab is called the pneumonic plague, and it is considered to be more dangerous.

"It transmits pretty easily between people because it spreads through droplets, almost like COVID spreads," medical entomologist at Emory University Adelaide Miarinjara said.

Pneumonic plague is an airborne illness that can be deadly if not treated soon enough. It occurs when bacteria from the plague enters a person’s lungs. It spreads much faster than the bubonic plague, and is harder to spot. The disease is spread through respiratory droplets like coughs and sneezes, and symptoms can appear within 24 hours after being infected. These airborne qualities make it much more likely to trigger another pandemic. Symptoms of pneumonic plague are headache, fever, cough, chest pain, weakness, rapidly developing pneumonia, shortness of breath, and sometimes bloody coughs or mucus.

Pneumonic plague can be treated with normal antibiotics, and if proper treatment is delivered in time, recovery rates are high. The optimal time to seek medication is within 24 hours of symptoms showing. It is easy to mistake it for another illness, though, which is what makes it so deadly. Without proper treatment, death is likely. The last big outbreak of pneumonic plague occurred in Madagascar. There were as many as 2,400 suspected cases, with an estimated 25% of infected patients dying due to poor access to medication.

“The key here is early diagnosis. If people aren't expecting it or don't seek treatment, they can die," Miarinjara said.

A third variant of the plague can actually be caused by pneumonic plague. Septicemic plague occurs when the bacteria invades the bloodstream. It causes organ failure, tissue damage, and bleeding beneath the skin. This variant is also fatal if not properly treated. Symptoms of septicemic plague include chills, abdominal pain, shock, bleeding of organs, and blackening of the skin.

“So this really sucks, and Russia shouldn’t be discreet about it because this could affect the whole world if we’re not careful. I hope they make the right decision about this conspiracy and that they are able to help people,” NHS sophomore Leo Dominguez said.

There are supposed to be laws and guidelines set in place to prevent countries from hiding important health information. One of these laws is the International Health Regulations (IHR). It is one of the longest running international agreements, and has protected the world from numerous major health outbreaks throughout history. Some of the more recent times have been SARS and COVID-19. Despite the Trump Administration withdrawing from the World Health Organization, the U.S. is still bound to IHR. Health experts say that this law obligates Russia to share more information about this lab and the woman’s death.

“What we need right now is really transparency from the Russian authorities, and I’m worried about whether we’re going to get that or not,” physician and health policy researcher Ashish Jha said.