Russia Quarantines Nearly 200 After Lab Worker Dies From Plague

Health authorities in Siberia's Irkutsk region have placed nearly 200 people under medical observation after a laboratory worker died from plague. Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, confirmed that Daria Sh., an employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute, had died from an unspecified form of plague while hospitalized in Shelekhov with severe pneumonia symptoms.

According to reports, she told medical staff that she accidentally broke a test tube containing live bacteria. Authorities canceled planned public events and opened a criminal investigation into potential health safety violations. While the woman's infection was described as unrelated to Buryatia by regional leaders due to her lack of visits there, residents remain deeply worried amid rumors of a possible outbreak.