The mother of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, has publicly challenged official accounts surrounding her daughter’s death, which has triggered international health concerns.
Svetlana Shipilova, herself a medical professional, expressed skepticism over claims that her daughter became infected after accidentally breaking a test tube, speaking to the Russian outlet Glubina, as reported by The Telegraph.
“I know the truth,” she stated. “I’m having to fend off stupid acquaintances who believed all this. The clever ones didn’t believe it, of course.”
Darya Shipilova died after developing pneumonia of unknown origin, prompting quarantines and elevated health measures in the region. Russian officials maintain that extensive testing found no link between her illness and any pathogens handled at the facility.
“Not even all medical professionals understand it’s impossible to break a test tube like that,” Svetlana Shipilova continued. “Even if you fling it at the wall, only an amateur would say something like that. Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube. They’re that well protected.”
She further accused authorities of neglecting her daughter’s care, asserting, “They simply let my daughter die.”
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Russian public health agency Rospotrebnadzor confirmed the woman’s death from “pneumonia of unknown origin,” adding that comprehensive laboratory analysis identified no connection to infectious agents handled at the institute.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged during a press briefing that “we don’t yet have the full picture of this event, and we are not able to conduct a full risk assessment.”
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed it is actively monitoring reports regarding a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia’s Irkutsk region.
“CDC is aware of and closely monitoring reports of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region of Russia that resulted in a death,” the agency stated. “We are working across the U.S. government to assess developments as additional information becomes available.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
