Ex-CDC chief questions whether Russian plague lab altered bacteria after fatal accident
Former CDC director Robert Redfield raised doubts that the plague strain handled in Irkutsk was engineered to resist antibiotics following the death of researcher Darya Shipilova.
Robert Redfield, the former head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed concern that the plague bacterium handled at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute may have been modified to evade antibiotic treatment. The worry follows the death of 28-year-old researcher Darya Shipilova, whose official cause of death was listed as pneumonia of unknown aetiology by Russia’s Rospotrebnadzor. Unconfirmed reports claim she accidentally shattered a test tube containing live Yersinia pestis, prompting speculation about a laboratory accident.
Redfield pointed out that standard safety protocols would have administered antibiotics, which might not have worked if the strain had been engineered for resistance. Authorities have placed roughly 200 individuals who were in contact with Shipilova under observation, and both a regional hospital and a maternity unit have been quarantined. International bodies—including the United States, the European Union and the World Health Organization—have called on Russia to provide full details about the incident.
Why it matters
The case could reveal a bio-security breach and raise global concerns about engineered pathogens.
How this story developed
- Oct 2 Plague Technician Dies in Siberian Lab, Nearly 200 Quarantined
- Oct 6 Daria Shipilova, a young scientist at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died on October 2 after reportedly dropping a test tube containing pneumonic plague, leading to lockdowns of several local hospitals.
- Oct 6 Russian health officials have opened a criminal investigation into possible sanitary violations.
- Oct 6 About 60 % of the roughly 200 people quarantined have been released, and none have shown plague symptoms.
- Oct 6 The World Health Organization confirmed it is conducting inquiries with Russian officials and assessed the regional risk as moderate to low.
- Oct 6 Central Asian countries introduced thermal imaging and health screening at their borders with Russia.
- Oct 7 The World Health Organization has requested additional details from Russian authorities about the cause of a laboratory worker’s death from severe pneumonia in Siberia.
- Oct 7 Trump said he expects to speak with Putin about the case.
- Oct 8 The Philippines health agency began monitoring the incident and screening travelers and cargo for plague.
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