At least five hospitals have been closed and over a hundred people placed under quarantine following the death of a 28-year-old researcher from the plague in the remote Siberian region of Irkutsk.
Local media reports identified the researcher, who worked at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in the city of Shelekhov, as Daria Shipilova. She had contracted pneumonic plague—a highly infectious disease that can be fatal if not treated promptly.
According to reports, she was infected after a test tube containing live bacteria broke while she was collecting samples. She later informed doctors that the test tube had broken accidentally during the collection process.
On September 29, she was admitted to a hospital in Shelekhov with symptoms of severe pneumonia. Her condition subsequently deteriorated, requiring her to be placed on a ventilator; she passed away on October 1.
It is reported that more than 200 people who may have come into contact with her have been placed under quarantine. Local reports also indicate that various public gatherings and events in Irkutsk have been cancelled.
Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev initially stated that the patient had been diagnosed with “pneumonia of unknown origin.”
In a post on Telegram, Kobzev stated that no microorganisms linked to the patient’s professional activities were detected in her samples.
He further noted that no cases of infectious disease had been found among the research institute’s staff over the past 10 days.
Kobzev added that everyone who had come into contact with the patient has been identified and placed under a regimen of testing and medical monitoring, with laboratory tests being conducted daily.
