Russian officials are facing accusations of trying to downplay a reported plague outbreak in Siberia following the sudden deletion of travel warnings to affected areas shortly after they were issued. On October 3, authorities in Baikalsk advised residents against traveling to Shelekhov, where a 28-year-old lab technician, Daria Shipilova, allegedly died from pneumonic plague after mishandling a test tube containing the pathogen.
Within two hours of the warning, it was deleted, and pro-government outlets retracted related posts about quarantine measures. Initial reports suggested that Shipilova contracted the plague after returning from a trip to Buryatia, but officials later corrected this information, stating she “possibly died of plague.”
Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, claimed that no plague cases had been identified among 187 individuals in contact with Shipilova, and the World Health Organization noted Russia’s assertion that no plague cases were detected in the region. The local governor stated no microorganisms linked to Shipilova’s work were found in her body, and regional health authorities dismissed quarantine news as “fake.”
Meanwhile, international responses have emerged, with U.S. President Trump expressing a willingness to assist Russia, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning that a spread of the disease could pose risks beyond Russia’s borders. As a precaution, neighboring countries have heightened infection control measures in response to the situation.
The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, where Shipilova worked, has a history of combating diseases like plague, anthrax, and cholera since its founding in 1934.
