'They let my daughter die': Russian lab worker's mother speaks up amid plague scare

The mother of the Russian lab worker who allegedly died after contracting pneumonic plague has broken her silence on her daughter's death. Reports claim that 29-year-old Darya Shipilova died of the infection on October 2 after she accidentally broke a test tube at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia. However, her mother, Svetlana, who is also a scientist, told the Russian outlet Glubina, "I know the truth."

Referring to the broken test tube theory, she said, "I’m having to fend off stupid acquaintances who believed all this, the clever ones didn’t believe it, of course." Svetlana has refuted claims that her daughter came in contact with the live bacteria because she broke a test tube. She said it is "impossible to break a test tube like that, even if you fling it at the wall."

"Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube – they’re that well protected," Svetlana added.

Also Read: Russia plague scare: Second person succumbs to infection, reports claim

While she did not confirm what exactly led to her daughter's death, she slammed authorities for not doing enough to save Darya. They "simply let my daughter die," she told the outlet.

Russia denies second death from plague

Russia has dismissed reports that Darya died of plague, maintaining that she developed a case of severe pneumonia. There have been reports that a second person has also died of the deadly infection. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it "false information."

Also Read: WHO breaks silence on possible pneumonic plague in Russia, seeks clarity on second reported death

Moscow Times had initially reported that Darya died of a deadly strain of plague in Siberia. It said that over 200 people were being monitored. Later, Russian authorities said in a note, "Test results showed no presence of dangerous infectious disease pathogens in any of the contacts." It added that “medical monitoring for 100 per cent of the contacts had been concluded and the epidemiological situation is stable and remains under monitoring.”

What Trump and WHO said about possible plague outbreak in Russia

United States has said that it is monitoring the situation in the country. President Donald Trump is said to have spoken with Putin and was reportedly assured that the situation is "very much under control." Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has assured that the supposed pneumonic plague scare presents a "very low" risk outside the country.

Russia's neighbouring countries, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, have tightened their border health controls amid the report.