Russian lab worker's pneumonic plague death puts nearly 200 under observation in Siberia

A 27-year-old laboratory worker died on October 2, 2026, in Russia's Siberian region from a suspected pneumonic plague infection, prompting nearly 200 people to be placed under medical observation. The woman, employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, reportedly broke a test tube containing live plague bacteria while collecting samples. She was hospitalized in Shelekhov with severe pneumonia and placed on ventilator support. Initial test results for those under observation have reportedly returned negative. Pneumonic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, affects the lungs and spreads through respiratory droplets. Early antibiotic treatment significantly improves recovery chances, while untreated cases can progress rapidly to respiratory failure, sepsis, and death.