Russian Lab Worker Dies From Plague, 200 Quarantined
Russian lab worker dies from plague, 200 people quarantined amid safety concerns.
2 min read
A laboratory worker at a Russian institute studying plague has died from the disease, prompting authorities to quarantine nearly 200 people who may have come into contact with her. The incident occurred at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia, where the woman, identified as Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old technician, reportedly broke a test tube containing live bacteria while gathering samples.
Shipilova was admitted to the hospital on September 29 and died two days later after being placed on a ventilator, according to reports. Authorities have isolated nearly 200 individuals and hospitalized 189 for monitoring, with 114 at one facility, 63 at another, and 12 at the institute itself. Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev stated that the health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has initiated a full set of anti-epidemic measures.
Public gatherings have been canceled, and a criminal case has been opened into possible safety violations that led to the death. Kobzev noted on Telegram that contacts showed no symptoms and tested negative.
Putin regime accused of plague cover-up after scientist dies in Siberia https://t.co/OStR12QZLH pic.twitter.com/QFOShKo5aG
Alexey Tsydenov, head of the neighboring Buryatia region, initially reported the woman’s death from plague before editing his post to say she “may have died” of it. No official notice of her death has been issued, and some accounts suggest she fell ill after a trip to Thailand rather than from a lab accident.
Alex Washburne, an epidemiologist, cast doubt on the official version, stating that a single broken test tube at a facility with about 90 scientists would not typically result in a 200-person quarantine. The illness is described as pneumonic plague, the deadliest and most contagious form, which affects the lungs and spreads through airborne droplets with an incubation period as short as a day.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported nearly 4,000 suspected cases across 10 countries from 2019 to 2025, while Russia’s last known infection was a 10-year-old in 2016. Surveillance continues as symptoms can appear days after exposure.
Source: Daily Caller
