Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old female employee at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia, died from severe pneumonia late on October 1 into the early hours of October 2. She is believed to have accidentally broken a test tube containing plague bacteria, raising concerns that she may have contracted pneumonic plague. Russian authorities are investigating the suspected dangerous pathogen leak, and reports from Irkutsk say five hospitals have been locked down for at least three weeks of quarantine.
According to CBS and other media outlets, Shipilova was collecting samples in the laboratory on September 25 when she apparently broke a test tube containing live bacteria. She subsequently developed severe pneumonia symptoms, was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator, but died days later.
Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) confirmed Shipilova’s death but said it was unclear what pathogen was involved in the incident, claiming the deceased had been diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause. Alexei Tsydenov, governor of Russia’s Republic of Buryatia, said the female employee may have died of plague, but stressed that no outbreak had occurred in the region.
After Shipilova’s death, health authorities immediately implemented epidemic prevention measures, testing nearly 200 people who had contact with the deceased. Some tested positive for cold-related viruses or COVID-19, but no pathogens capable of causing dangerous infectious diseases were found. Some factories in Irkutsk have also begun enforcing mandatory mask-wearing rules, and at least five hospitals have started quarantine measures.
In addition, the U.S. State Department has been informed of the possible pneumonic plague death in Russia and is closely monitoring the situation along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other relevant agencies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday (October 5) that the information available is limited, but based on what is known, one laboratory worker was infected and there are concerns the infection may have spread. However, he also noted that given the very limited travel between the U.S. and Russia, the matter warrants continued attention but does not yet warrant panic.
Pneumonic Plague Leak: Should We Be Worried?
Pneumonic plague is an extremely dangerous infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Unlike bubonic plague, which is typically transmitted through flea bites, it is the only form that can spread directly from person to person through respiratory droplets. According to the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO), patients rapidly develop fever, headache, and difficulty breathing after infection, with the condition deteriorating rapidly within a very short time into severe pneumonia, chest pain, and even coughing up bloody sputum.
Although pneumonic plague progresses rapidly, there is no need for excessive panic at this stage, as modern medicine has antibiotics as an effective treatment — when administered early after symptom onset, they can dramatically reduce the fatality rate.
There are now reports from Shelekhov in Siberia about men walking in the city in hazmat suits. The hospital is quarantined and the pharmacies in the city of ran out of antibiotics. The 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova died on Friday at hospital in the city after accidentally breaking a test sample with Yersinia pestis at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute and contracting pneumonic plague. Her laboratory was a Biosafety Level 3 lab
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 5, 2026
