Russian lab worker dies of dangerous plague infection after accidentally breaking test tube, tell me about this news today
05-10-2026
A 28-year-old laboratory technician named Daria Shipilova died in Siberia’s Irkutsk region following a suspected exposure to live plague bacteria (Yersinia pestis).
Ynet NewsThe Incident and HospitalizationShipilova worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, a specialized facility dedicated to researching and containing high-consequence pathogens, including plague, anthrax, and cholera. According to Russian media reports citing medical staff, she stated that around late September, she accidentally broke a test tube containing live bacterial cultures while handling samples.
Ynet News+ 1Shortly after the incident, she developed severe pneumonia-like symptoms consistent with pneumonic plaguethe most aggressive and transmissible form of the disease. She was admitted to a district hospital in Shelekhov (near Irkutsk), placed on a mechanical ventilator, and died on October 2, 2026.
Ynet News+ 1Containment and Medical ObservationFollowing her death, local and federal health authorities initiated emergency containment protocols:
Ynet NewsQuarantine Measures: The Shelekhov district hospital where she was treated was placed under quarantine, with routine admissions and discharges temporarily restricted.
Ynet NewsContact Tracing: Nearly 200 people (at least 189 to 197 individuals), including hospital staff, colleagues, and close contacts, were placed under medical observation or isolated in hospital wards.
Ynet NewsCurrent Status: Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev reported that all identified contacts under observation have tested negative for the infection and have shown no symptoms. There is currently no evidence of secondary transmission or a wider public outbreak.
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Anna Popova, head of Russia’s consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, traveled to the region to oversee containment efforts. In official public statements, regional authorities initially avoided explicitly naming the disease, describing it broadly as a “particularly dangerous infection” before neighboring regional officials and local reports referenced plague. Russian law enforcement has also opened a criminal investigation into potential workplace safety violations that resulted in negligence causing death.
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