The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute and Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer protection agency, maintain that the sanitary situation remains stable and deny that any laboratory accidents occurred. Despite these claims, FSB security units have been deployed to escort ambulances, and officials reportedly deleted a public health warning urging residents to avoid Shelekhov. Nearly 200 people who were in contact with the deceased worker are under observation, although Governor Igor Kobzev stated that current tests are negative.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Siberian Hospitals Enter 3 Week Quarantine Despite State Plague Denial
World17 days ago
Mask mandates are now in effect at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant and several other local enterprises in Shelekhov to prevent the transmission of suspected pneumonic plague. Regional authorities have placed multiple hospitals under a 3 week isolation period that prohibits patients from leaving and bans visitors. These measures follow the death of Daria Shipilova, a 28 year old technician at an anti-plague institute who reportedly died on a ventilator after accidentally breaking a test tube of live bacteria while collecting samples.
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