Russia Says Siberian Lab Worker's Death Was 'Pneumonia,' Not Plague, as 189 Remain Quarantined

Russia's public health watchdog broke its silence Sunday on the death of a 28-year-old lab worker in Siberia, saying Daria Shipilova died of "pneumonia of unknown origin" — not plague — and denying that any accident happened at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute where she worked.

Shipilova was a laboratory assistant at the institute in Shelekhov, outside Irkutsk. Russian regional media reported she broke a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples on Sept. 25, fell ill, and was admitted to the district hospital Sept. 29. She was put on a ventilator and died during the night of Oct. 1-2, according to the regional outlet People of Baikal, cited by The Moscow Times and Meduza.

Rospotrebnadzor, the watchdog, said extensive tests on her samples did not detect microorganisms linked to her work at the institute. It said a probe found no accidents involving dangerous pathogens and no broken test tube at the laboratory. It has not said what caused the pneumonia.

Even so, the region remains on an emergency footing. About 189 of 197 identified contacts are under hospital observation — 114 at one hospital, 63 at another, and 12 at the institute, according to regional authorities. Governor Igor Kobzev said the contacts show no symptoms and have tested negative. He has described the case only as a "particularly dangerous infection" and cancelled mass public events.

Parts of the Shelekhov district hospital were placed under quarantine Oct. 1, with laboratory testing suspended and admissions and discharges halted in several departments, regional officials said. Reports from the region say three of Irkutsk's six hospitals are maintaining strict quarantine restrictions, university classes were cancelled, and workers at a large aluminium smelter were ordered to wear masks.

Confusion has been fed by officials themselves. Alexey Tsydenov, the head of neighboring Buryatia, first wrote on social media that Shipilova had died of plague, then edited his post to say she "may have died" of it, Meduza reported. A popular Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services reported she died of pneumonic plague. Prosecutors have opened a criminal case into possible safety violations resulting in death, according to The Moscow Times.

Anna Popova, the head of Rospotrebnadzor and Russia's chief state sanitary doctor, flew 2,600 miles from Moscow to Irkutsk to take charge of the response. The last registered case of plague in Russia was in 2016, when a 10-year-old boy became infected after skinning a marmot.