The emergency measures follow the October 2 death of Daria Shipilova, a 28 year old technician at an anti-plague institute who reportedly told medical staff she broke a test tube of live bacteria. Nearly 200 of her contacts remain under medical observation. While Rospotrebnadzor and the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute deny any laboratory accidents and claim the epidemiological situation is stable, Governor Igor Kobzev has previously described the event as a particularly dangerous infection.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Russia Quarantines 5 Siberian Hospitals after Pneumonic Plague Leak
World17 days ago
Hospitals No. 1, 3, and 10, the Ivano-Matreninskaya Children's Hospital, and a maternity hospital in Irkutsk are now under forced quarantine as a suspected pneumonic plague outbreak spreads in Siberia. These institutions have prohibited all visitors and banned patients from leaving for a three week period to curb person-to-person transmission. Authorities have also implemented mask mandates at local enterprises, including the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant, and deployed FSB security units to escort ambulances transporting exposed individuals.
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