A female lab technician in Siberia has died after contracting a deadly disease, raising concerns about a possible plague outbreak.
It all began when 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, broke a test tube reportedly containing samples of the bacteria that causes pneumonic plague.
She got sick and sadly passed away in the hospital last week.
Now, authorities are rushing to quarantine everyone she had contact with.
At this time, over 200 people have been quarantined.
Here are the details:
BREAKING:
5 hospitals have been closed for quarantines in Siberia due to a possible plague outbreak.
The 28-year-old lab technician Darya Shipilova, died yesterday after breaking a test tube with live Yersinia pestis the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute on September 25th while…
pic.twitter.com/N6tKLRyAJ5
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24)
October 4, 2026
BREAKING:
5 hospitals have been closed for quarantines in Siberia due to a possible plague outbreak.
The 28-year-old lab technician Darya Shipilova, died yesterday after breaking a test tube with live Yersinia pestis the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute on September 25th while handling samples.
A mask mandate has now been introduced at the huge aluminum plant in Irkutsk.
Some U.S. politicians are now calling for commercial air travel to and from Russia to be stopped until the situation is clarified.
This first symptoms of pneumonic plague typically start about 4 to 7 days after exposure. 200 people are under observation.
The Daily Mail shared some statements from Russian health authorities on the matter:
There was no immediate statement from Russia’s health ministry but Alexei Tsydenov, governor of Russia’s Buryatia region, said in an earlier social media post that a woman in the neighbouring Irkutsk region had ‘died of plague’.
Russia’s chief state sanitary doctor Anna Popova rushed to Siberia to take personal charge of the outbreak, according to reports, while a mask decree has been implemented in Irkutsk.
Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said: ‘We held an extraordinary meeting of the regional sanitary and anti-epidemic commission with the participation of Russia’s Chief State Sanitary Doctor Anna Popova.
‘The reason was information that had emerged about a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infectious disease in a resident of the region.’
Kobzev earlier refused to name the suspected disease.
‘All identified contacts have been placed under medical observation,’ he said.
‘As of today, none of the contacts has any signs of illness, and their laboratory test results are negative.’
Maxim Modin, mayor of the nearby town of Shelekhov, told residents ‘not to spread rumours or unreliable information – use only official sources’.
He added: ‘It is too early to draw final conclusions – we will wait for the specialists’ findings.’
The pneumonic plague isn’t something you want to mess around with.
This disease infects the lungs and progresses very rapidly.
Without quick treatment, it has nearly a 100% fatality rate.
However, if caught and treated early, that rate plunges to around 17%.
The Trump administration is aware of the situation and closely monitoring developments.
Axios shared:
The White House is monitoring reports of a suspected plague case and related quarantines in Russia, a Trump administration official told Axios on Sunday.
• Driving the news: Russian health authorities have taken precautionary measures in response to the death of a woman who worked at an anti-plague research factility, but have not confirmed that she contracted plague.
• What they’re saying: The Trump administration “is aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options,” the administration official said.
A plague outbreak stemming from a suspected “lab accident” just in time for an incredibly important U.S. election…
Where have I heard this playbook before?
Benny Johnson provided some additional insight on the situation in this clip:
A new plague outbreak is hitting Russia and it has already killed a lab worker in Siberia. Five hospitals are now under quarantine and the government is trying to cover it up.
Pneumonic plague infects the lungs, progresses extremely rapidly, and spreads person-to-person through…
pic.twitter.com/S3v9IzEZ7G
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson)
October 4, 2026
What are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts?
TAP HERE TO ADD YOUR VOTE
Continue reading...
[ H/T WLT Report ]
