Five hospitals in Siberia have been closed for a minimum three-week quarantine due to a possible outbreak of plague. The closures follow the death of a 28-year-old laboratory technician, Darya Shipilova, who reportedly died after breaking a test tube containing live Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague. The incident occurred at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute on September 25, 2026.
Health authorities in the Irkutsk region have confirmed that nearly 200 people are currently under medical observation. The hospitals affected include City Clinical Hospitals Nos. 1, 3, and 10, as well as the Ivano-Matreninskaya City Children's Clinical Hospital. A mask mandate has been introduced at the aluminum plant in Irkutsk, similar to measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reports indicate that some U.S. politicians are advocating for a halt to commercial air travel to and from Russia until the situation is clarified. Symptoms of pneumonic plague typically appear 4 to 7 days after exposure. The Moscow Times reported that Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, confirmed the technician's death was due to an unspecified form of plague. Additionally, ambulances transporting individuals for testing have been escorted by officers from the FSB, Russia's federal security service.