Plague in Russia? Lab worker dies in Siberia, hospital quarantined

A laboratory worker has died of plague in Russia's Irkutsk region, and nearly 200 people are under medical observation.

2 min readOct 3, 2026 10:03 AM IST First published on: Oct 3, 2026 at 10:03 AM IST

Plague case In Russia raises alarm. (Representational/File Photo)

Health authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region, in Siberia, have placed nearly 200 people under medical observation after a laboratory worker died of plague, according to The Moscow Times. The newspaper cited Russian media and a statement on Friday by Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighbouring Republic of Buryatia, who confirmed the woman’s death.

Irkutsk officials had so far called the illness only a “particularly dangerous infection”. Tsydenov said the woman died of plague but did not revealed details. Media outlets have described the suspected infection as pneumonic plague. The Moscow Times reported that Governor Igor Kobzev did not mention the woman’s death in his own statement on Friday.

Who was the woman and what happened?

According to The Moscow Times, the woman, Daria Sh. (27 or 28), worked at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute. She was taken to hospital on Tuesday in Shelekhov, a town near the regional capital, Irkutsk, with signs of severe pneumonia. She was placed on ventilator support and declared dead on Thursday.

She reportedly told the medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube holding live bacteria while she was collecting samples. That account comes from a Telegram channel and has not been confirmed by officials

When did the world see the last major plague?

The WHO says the bacteria Yersinia pestis is responsible for plague. It is a type of zoonotic bacteria, which is usually present in small mammals and their fleas. People infected with Y. pestis often develop symptoms after an incubation period of one to seven days.

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Bubonic plague is the most common clinical form of plague. 

The last major global plague pandemic was the Third Plague Pandemic, which began in Yunnan, China, in 1855 and lasted until roughly 1960.

As per WHO, “Human plague remains endemic in several countries. During 2019–2025, most cases reported to WHO occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar.”

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