Plague lab worker’s mother accuses Russian officials of ‘letting her daughter die’

The mother of a Russian laboratory technician who died after suspected exposure to pneumonic plague has accused doctors of “letting my daughter die”.Darya Shipilova, 28, passed away on 2 October following an incident at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, a high-security facility specialising in high-consequence biological hazards.Early reports suggested the researcher contracted the deadly infection after accidentally shattering a sample tube containing live biological material during routine testing.But her mother, 64-year-old healthcare worker Svetlana Shipilova, has fiercely contested the publicised explanations surrounding the death.Darya Shilpova, a Russia lab worker, passed away on October 2 after reportedly being exposed to the pneumonic plague (Social media)Speaking to independent outlet Glubina, she expressed outrage over the medical treatment her daughter received in her final days.“I’ve saved more than one patient like [Darya], but they didn’t save my daughter,” Shipilova said. “They just let my daughter die.”“[She] hasn't been buried yet. Who is going to bury her if we are sitting here imprisoned?” she questioned.As the late lab worker’s family remains in isolation, no funeral arrangements have been made. At present, an estimated 100 people who came into contact with her before her death are being monitored in hospital.While a second death reportedly linked to the suspected outbreak has led to the World Health Organisation (WHO) offering Russian health authorities support, Moscow has maintained its testing has not detected the presence of pneumonic plague in the country. The WHO has offered Russia support in detecting and managing a potential outbreak (Reuters)But four days after the fatal incident, Ms Shipilova revealed that state medical authorities have failed to provide her daughter’s official cause of death."I'm waiting for it to become official. Not just something in the media; it has to be an official document," she told the publication. "It’s very hard for me right now. This whole spectacle drags on."Darya’s mother also expressed skepticism over the claim that a broken test tube had caused the initial containment breach and exposure.Ms Shipilova has questioned the events surrounding her daughter’s death (The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East)"I know the truth," she said. "I’m fending off stupid people I know who believed all this. The smart ones didn’t believe it, of course.""Even some medical professionals don’t understand that it’s impossible to break that test tube. Even if you fling it against a wall. Only someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about could say that."She added: “Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube. They’re that well protected.