Russian Lab Worker Dies of Plague in Siberia; Over 200 Quarantined

A 28-year-old laboratory technician died of pneumonic plague in Siberia, Russia, after a broken test tube exposure, triggering quarantine of over 200 people and closure of five hospitals. The death occurred at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, Irkutsk region. The technician, Darya Shipilova, was hospitalized September 29 with severe pneumonia and died October 1. She reportedly broke a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples. Governor Igor Kobzev initially called it a "particularly dangerous infection" but later said pneumonia of unknown etiology, noting no plague was detected in patient samples. Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous form of plague, spread via respiratory particles, with symptoms appearing within 24 hours and fatal if untreated. However, recovery rates are high with early treatment. No plague outbreaks have been reported in neighboring Buryatia region.