Plague case reported in Russia's Irkutsk region after lab worker dies

Reports have emerged in Russia about a case of plague, the death of one person, and the introduction of a three-week quarantine in hospitals in the Irkutsk region. A 28-year-old laboratory worker at the Anti-Plague Institute, Daria Shipilova, died in Shelekhov after being hospitalized on September 29. Local media reported quarantine measures at several hospitals in Irkutsk, with unconfirmed diagnoses of plague circulating among medical staff. Russia's Rospotrebnadzor stated the epidemiological situation remains stable, attributing the death to pneumonia of unknown etiology and denying any incidents involving pathogenic microorganisms. Authorities have not officially confirmed a plague case, though some local measures, such as a mask mandate, were introduced.