A regional official in Siberia announced on Friday that a woman had died of plague in the remote Irkutsk region, while Russian media reports said up to 200 of her potential contacts had been placed in quarantine. Local media identified the deceased as Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory technician.
Laboratory technician suspected of having pneumonic plague
The People of Baikal news outlet reported that she worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute and suggested that she may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke. The outlet said the number of people who may have had contact with her and were placed in quarantine could reach 200.
Alexei Tsydenov, governor of Russia’s Buryatia region, had earlier announced in a social media post that a woman in neighbouring Irkutsk region had «died as a result of plague infection».
The World Health Organisation says pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can be fatal if the infected person does not receive treatment at an early stage.
