A 28-year-old female laboratory officer at the Plague Research Institute in Russia's Irkutsk region died suddenly after an accident broke a pathogen test tube. Authorities have launched strict control measures, quarantining nearly 200 close contacts amid public alarm and debates over official information disclosure.
Health officials in Russia's Siberian Irkutsk region ordered medical monitoring of at least 197 people after a female officer at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk died. Concerns and rumors about a plague outbreak circulated, with over 100 close contacts reportedly quarantined and hospitalized.
Aleksey Tsudenov, leader of the neighboring Republic of Buryatia, confirmed the female officer died from plague infection but did not specify the type. He stressed she had never traveled to Buryatia and that the infection was unrelated to the republic's territory.
Tsudenov stated on social media there is currently no plague outbreak in Buryatia or along the border areas adjacent to Mongolia.
Local media identified the deceased as Daria Shipilova, 28, a laboratory officer at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk. Reports said on 25 September she accidentally broke a test tube containing Yersinia pestis bacteria, the plague pathogen, while collecting samples in the lab.
Two days later, her condition rapidly deteriorated with severe pneumonia-like symptoms. She was hospitalized in Shelekhov near Irkutsk, admitted to intensive care, placed on a ventilator, and died in the early morning of 2 October.
Some sources initially suspected she might have contracted coronavirus before her rapid decline led to testing for highly dangerous pathogens. However, Russian health authorities have not officially confirmed this information.
Following the incident, the hospital in Shelekhov was quarantined for risk assessment. Some local health facilities restricted entry, and certain public events in Irkutsk city were canceled. Additionally, aluminum plant workers in Shelekhov were ordered to wear masks as a precaution, and officials in protective suits, masks, and gloves were seen in the area.
Igor Kobzev, governor of Irkutsk region, said after a meeting with Anna Popova, head of the Russian consumer protection and public health agency Rospotrebnadzor, that all identified contacts were under medical surveillance. So far, no symptoms have appeared among them, and initial lab tests were negative.
However, initially Irkutsk authorities avoided using the term "plague," calling the condition a "particularly dangerous infection," which sparked criticism and rumors on social media. Some local officials’ posts warning about plague were later deleted.
The situation caused public concern, especially after reports suggested the deceased might have had pneumonic plague, a respiratory form that spreads person-to-person via cough or sneeze droplets and can be fatal within a short time without prompt antibiotic treatment.
On 4 October, Rospotrebnadzor stated that hygiene and epidemiological conditions in Irkutsk region, including Irkutsk and Shelekhov cities, remain stable. They confirmed the woman's official cause of death as "unexplained pneumonia."
The agency also affirmed that full public health and outbreak control measures were implemented, and further patient sample testing found no microbes linked to the pathogens she worked with.
Rospotrebnadzor added there were no incidents of pathogen leakage or accidents at the Anti-Plague Research Institute, and no staff had been treated for infectious diseases in the past 10 days.
Meanwhile, renowned Russian epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko sought to reassure the public, noting that plague carriers such as rodents and fleas in Siberia typically enter dormancy around early October. Nonetheless, his statement did not fully alleviate public worries.
Russian authorities continue close monitoring of contacts amid conflicting reports—some media citing plague infection, while Rospotrebnadzor latest confirmed the deceased was diagnosed with unexplained pneumonia and the local situation remains stable.