Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory assistant at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, has died, marking the second reported death linked to a possible plague outbreak in the region. Local media reported that Shipilova died on October 1 after being exposed to pneumonic plague bacteria when she accidentally broke a test tube containing live samples. Following her exposure, hundreds of individuals were quarantined. Despite being placed on a ventilator, she succumbed to her illness a week later.
Reports indicate that Shipilova was exposed to Yersinia pestis bacteria while gathering samples. Russia's national public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, described her condition as "pneumonia of unknown etiology."
A spokesperson from the US State Department stated that they are monitoring the situation closely in coordination with the CDC and other partners, emphasizing the need for Russian authorities to provide accurate information promptly.
Concerns have been raised regarding a potential cover-up by the Kremlin, with allegations that reports about the plague have been removed from online news sources. For instance, the federal television channel REN TV has been accused of deleting multiple articles about the outbreak in the Irkutsk region. Additionally, the administration of Baikalsk reportedly published a post on Telegram on October 3 advising residents to avoid travel to Shelekhov due to unofficial reports of a confirmed plague case, but later deleted the post.
Professor Brendan Wren from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine noted that plague is a serious infectious disease caused by Yersinia pestis, which can be transmitted through respiratory droplets in cases of pneumonic plague. Neighboring countries, including Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, are reportedly tightening border health controls amid fears of a wider outbreak.