Russian lab researcher dies of plague in Siberia; dozens under quarantine

A woman in the remote Siberian region of Irkutsk has died of plague, a regional official said Friday, as a Russian media outlet reported dozens were under quarantine.

Local media named her as 28-year-old laboratory technician Darya Shipilova.

The “People of Baikal” news outlet said she worked for the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute and may have contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube.

As many as 200 people with whom she may have had contact were under quarantine, the outlet added, without elaborating.

There was no immediate statement from Russia’s health ministry and AFP was not able to verify the reports.

Alexei Tsydenov, governor of Russia’s Buryatia region, had reported in a social media post earlier that a woman in the neighbouring Irkutsk region had “died of plague”.

The plague is an infectious disease caused by bacteria.

Pneumonic plague is highly infectious and can be fatal if not treated early, according to the World Health Organization.