Hospitals in the Irkutsk Region Have Been Placed Under Quarantine Due to the Plague
In Russia’s Irkutsk Region, quarantine measures were implemented following the death of an employee at the Anti-Plague Institute. A total of 197 people who may have come into contact with the woman were placed under observation, and 189 of them were hospitalized. Meanwhile, a hospital in Shelekhov was placed under quarantine, and a mask mandate was introduced at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant.
Quarantine measures have been tightened in Russia’s Irkutsk region following the death of a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. The woman died on the night of October 2 at the Shelekhov District Hospital. The head of neighboring Buryatia, Alexei Tsidenov, confirmed that the cause of death was the plague. At the same time, official sources in the Irkutsk region have cautiously described the situation in their reports as a suspected case of an “especially dangerous infection.”
According to Russian and local media reports, the deceased was named Daria Shipilova. She worked as a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Research Institute for Plague Control. One of the main theories is that on September 25, while working in the laboratory, Shipilova may have broken a test tube containing the pathogen that causes pneumonic plague. This information is being reported by local media, but there is no official confirmation of this specific mode of transmission.
There is another theory that previously appeared in Russian media. According to this theory, the woman may have returned from a work trip to Buryatia, where natural foci of plague had previously been recorded near the border with Mongolia. However, the head of Buryatia stated that Shipilova had not visited the republic. On September 29, the woman was admitted to the Shelekhov District Hospital. She had symptoms similar to severe pneumonia. The patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly, so she was placed on a ventilator. She died a few days later.
Following this, the Shelekhov Hospital was placed under quarantine. The hospital temporarily restricted patient admissions and discharges in several departments. The outpatient clinic, however, continued to operate. Next, medical staff began identifying people who had been in contact with the deceased. A total of 197 such individuals were identified. According to published data, 189 of them were hospitalized for observation.
114 people are in one medical facility, and another 63 are in a different one. Another 12 contacts were sent to the Anti-Plague Institute. Eight people remained outside of hospitals under medical supervision. Independent Russian media also reported on heightened security measures surrounding those who had been in contact with the deceased. According to “People of Lake Baikal,” starting October 1, ambulances transporting people for testing may have been escorted by FSB officers. This information could not be independently verified.
Quarantine measures extended beyond the hospital. In Irkutsk, according to The Moscow Times, City Hospitals No. 1, No. 3, and No. 10 were placed under quarantine. Restrictions also affected the Ivano-Matreninskaya Children’s Hospital and the maternity hospital. In Shelekhov, the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant has mandated the wearing of masks. The plant’s director, Artem Fominykh, called this a preventive measure amid conflicting reports about the situation in the city.
He also urged employees to seek medical attention if they notice any symptoms of illness. According to a healthcare source interviewed by The Moscow Times, medical professionals are already referring to the disease as the plague, although official documents reportedly do not specify this diagnosis. The source also claims that in cases of suspected pneumonic plague, restrictions should be applied more broadly, rather than limited to individual medical facilities. The publication cites these statements with reference to its own source, rather than as the official position of the authorities.
Meanwhile, on October 2, Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev stated that no signs of the disease had been detected among identified close contacts. According to him, the laboratory test results at that time were negative. On the morning of October 3, the Baikalsk administration urged residents to temporarily refrain from traveling to Shelekhov and neighboring settlements due to the plague situation. This post was later removed from social media.
Currently, medical professionals are focusing their attention on people who may have come into contact with the deceased. They have been hospitalized or placed under observation to detect any potential symptoms in a timely manner. Consequently, following the death of an employee at the Anti-Plague Institute in the Irkutsk region, a series of restrictions were imposed. The hospital in Shelekhov was closed for quarantine, several medical facilities in Irkutsk were also placed under quarantine, and a mask mandate was implemented at a large enterprise. At the same time, official authorities in Irkutsk are still using the term “particularly dangerous infection,” while the head of Buryatia has confirmed the death was caused by the plague. This was reported by The Moscow Times.
