Plague institute worker's death in Siberia triggers quarantine of dozens

A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia died under undisclosed circumstances, prompting authorities to quarantine dozens of people and sparking public health concerns, though the World Health Organization said the risk to the general population appears low. The death occurred in the Irkutsk region, and Russia's health watchdog chief flew there for an emergency meeting. The worker, identified by local media as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, died of pneumonia of unknown origin, according to authorities, who said no evidence linked her death to pathogen handling. About 200 contacts were quarantined, and officials reported two COVID cases and two rhinovirus cases among them, with no new plague cases identified. Plague is endemic to Siberia, where the bacterium Yersinia pestis exists among wild mammals, though human cases are rare in Russia. US President Donald Trump called the death a "big problem for Russia" and offered assistance, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring the situation.