A death at a Siberian laboratory has set off a Russia plague scare. Local media report that officials in the Irkutsk region placed 189 people under medical observation after a lab employee died. The woman was a 28-year-old technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov. CNN reports that the institute is the facility at the centre of the incident.

What Happened in Irkutsk

Local outlet Liudi Baikala identified the deceased as Darya Shipilova. She reportedly died in intensive care on October 2, after being treated for severe pneumonia at Shelekhov Hospital. The hospital was reportedly quarantined and its staff isolated. Quarantine was also reported at a maternity hospital in the city.

How Did She Get Infected?

The cause is not confirmed. Two explanations have circulated in media reports:

  • A work trip: she may have returned from Buryatia, near the Mongolian border, where a plague outbreak was reported earlier.
  • A lab accident: local media claim she broke a test tube containing a dangerous bacterium while handling specimens.

Buryatia's head, Alexei Tsydenov, said she died "possibly from the plague." He also said there are no plague outbreaks in Buryatia.

What Russian Authorities Say

Russia's health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has not confirmed plague. It says the employee had "pneumonia of unknown etiology" and that the situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov is stable. The agency also said expanded testing found no microorganisms linked to her work. Officials say identified close contacts show no symptoms and have negative test results.

International Reaction

A US State Department official told NewsNation it is monitoring the reports with the CDC and other agencies. The same official noted that pneumonic plague is treatable with common antibiotics when treatment starts early. Pneumonic plague is one form of disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

What We Know and What We Don't

  • Confirmed: a lab employee died, and about 189 to 200 people are under observation.
  • Unconfirmed: plague as the cause of death, and any lab accident.
  • Note: "hospitalized" in some headlines is loose. Most reports say people were placed under medical observation as a precaution.