After a 28-year-old employee at Irkutsk’s anti-plague research institute died, authorities said she had pneumonia of undetermined origin and found no evidence linking her illness to laboratory work. A plague diagnosis has not been officially confirmed.
Local media reported quarantine measures at hospitals in Irkutsk and Shelekhov, where the woman died, as well as a temporary mask requirement at an aluminum plant in Shelekhov. The plant’s director described the measure as precautionary. Authorities said the woman’s contacts had been identified, examined and placed under medical observation. Local media reports said three city hospitals, a children’s hospital and a maternity hospital had been placed under quarantine.
Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev said no other institute employees had sought medical care in recent days. Rospotrebnadzor told state media that the institute had found no evidence of an incident involving pathogen handling. The cause of the pneumonia has not been established, according to the official account.
Local reports carried conflicting accounts of the employee’s travel to Buryatia and a possible exposure to plague. Authorities had not confirmed a plague diagnosis at the time of their statements. The accompanying image shows Yersinia pestis bacteria and is illustrative, not connected to the woman or the Siberian case.