Russia has declared a Covid-style plague quarantine in its largest area following the death of a young lab worker, with officials accused of trying to conceal the spread of a suspected outbreak.
Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old lab assistant at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died on Thursday (October 1) after becoming seriously ill earlier in the week. She told medical staff she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples. She was admitted to hospital in Shelekhov on Tuesday with severe pneumonia, placed on a ventilator, and died on Thursday.
Quarantine declared in Shelekhov
Authorities have declared a Covid-style plague quarantine in the area, according to GB News. A hospital in Shelekhov was quarantined, and all people who had contact with Shipilova were placed under medical observation. Nearly 200 people have been forced into isolation.
Anna Popova, Russia's chief public health official, travelled about 2,600 miles from Moscow to the Irkutsk region. However, Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev refused to name the illness, calling it only "a dangerous infectious disease" and cancelling all public events in the region.
Officials accused of cover-up
Writing on Telegram on Friday, Kobzev said: "All identified contact persons have been placed under medical observation. As of today, the contacts show no signs of illness, and their laboratory test results are negative."
Russian political insider channel Nezygar warned: "The situation in Shelekhov, Irkutsk region, where a plague quarantine has been declared, resembles the Wuhan case." This refers to the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China's Wuhan and killed over 7.1 million people worldwide as of September 2026.
According to The Moscow Times, Russian epidemiologist Mikhal Favorov questioned the story about the broken test tube, viewing it as a possible sign of a cover-up. "It's laughable," he said. "Someone working at the anti-plague Institute in Irkutsk wears a protective anti-plague suit. If you break a test tube, the likelihood of infection is actually very low. In short, it doesn't matter to the general public - they'll believe the 'dropped test tube story'."
Diagnosis unconfirmed
Favorov said Popova's visit suggested the situation was serious. "It's absolutely hair-raising," he said, adding: "We will not be told what really happened."
Russian health authorities have not confirmed that Shipilova had plague, with the health agency instead describing her as having "pneumonia of unknown etiology". Further testing found no microorganisms linked to her work. Russian media reports suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague, but the diagnosis has not been confirmed.
The plague, responsible for the medieval Black Death which wiped out tens of millions across Europe, is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. The illness manifests in three primary forms - bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. Symptoms can develop rapidly and often include sudden fever, headache, severe chills, extreme weakness, and respiratory distress such as shortness of breath and a persistent cough. All forms can be effectively treated with standard antibiotics if care is administered swiftly in the early stages.
