Russia puts nearly 200 under watch after lab worker dies amid suspected plague exposure

Nearly 200 people have been placed under medical observation in Russia’s Siberia region following the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker who may have been exposed to pneumonic plague, according to Russian media reports.

Russian authorities have not confirmed that the woman died of plague. The country’s consumer welfare agency said Sunday that the researcher, who worked at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk, died of “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” or unknown origin. The agency said the “sanitary-epidemiological situation” in the Irkutsk region, including the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, remained stable.

The death has nevertheless prompted authorities to take precautionary measures, with nearly 200 people who had contact with the researcher placed under medical observation, Russian media reported, citing regional officials.

Maxim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhovsky district near Russia’s border with Mongolia, said the inpatient facility where the researcher was treated had been placed under quarantine. Several hospital departments have stopped admitting or discharging patients, while other medical facilities in the region have also reportedly been closed as authorities step up containment measures.

Modin said officials were implementing a “comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures” following the woman’s death, which was confirmed by authorities last week.

Why pneumonic plague is a concern

The pneumonic form of plague is considered particularly dangerous because it can spread through respiratory droplets and can cause severe outbreaks if left untreated. The World Health Organization has described pneumonic plague as especially contagious and capable of triggering severe epidemics.

The WHO did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the suspected case in Russia.

The US State Department said it was closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies. “Many details have not been confirmed,” the department said in a statement to multiple media outlets, urging Russian authorities to “share accurate information quickly and openly.”

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

For now, Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed a diagnosis of pneumonic plague in the deceased researcher. The medical observation of her contacts and the quarantine measures are being carried out as precautionary steps while the circumstances surrounding her death are assessed.