Suspected Plague Case at Siberian Lab Under Scrutiny

In October 2026, a 28-year-old laboratory worker named Darya Shipilova died in Siberia's Irkutsk region, and Russian authorities investigated whether her death was linked to pneumonic plague. Quarantine measures remained in place in the area, and Russia denied that the worker died of plague while moving to counter rumors of an outbreak at the laboratory.

The United States said it was monitoring the suspected case, and the State Department confirmed it was watching the situation. The European Union said it was monitoring the suspected outbreak very closely. The Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, addressed the reports, and Russian officials accused unnamed parties of covering up a possible leak.