Nearly 200 people hospitalized in the Irkutsk region with suspected plague after the death of institute employees

Independent Russian media reported on Friday that almost 200 people were admitted to hospitals in the Irkutsk region with suspected plague infection. This happened after the death of 27-year-old Daria Shipilova, a former employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.

It is not really known how, where and when the woman became infected with the deadly bacteria. According to one of the versions presented, the 27-year-old returned from a business trip to Buryatia, where natural outbreaks of the plague were reported in the regions near the border with Mongolia. However, the president of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, denied that the woman had traveled to the region he oversees.

Another hypothesis is that the test tube with the pathogen was possibly broken during work in the laboratory, which allegedly occurred on September 25. According to reports from REN TV, the laboratory scientist studied plague bacteria from natural outbreaks in Siberia, Mongolia and Altai, as well as the body's immune response to the infection.

Four days later, i.e. on September 29, the woman was admitted to a hospital in the city of Szelechowo with symptoms of pneumonia. Although she was placed on a ventilator, she died two days later. The clinic staff was isolated and the facility itself was quarantined. The Telegram channel "Mash" reported that the 27-year-old had contracted pneumonic plague - the most severe, rarest and most contagious form of plague.

Plague in Russia? Officially silence, but there are signs

Sources of the "People of Baikal" portal claim that since October 1, ambulances transporting people who had contact with the deceased Darya Shipilova have been escorted by patrols of the Federal Security Service (FSB). So far, 189 people have been subject to epidemiological proceedings, of which 177 of them were placed in two hospitals and 12 - in the anti-plague institute. On October 2, the governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, stated that these people had no symptoms of the disease and that the laboratory test results were negative.

However, the reassuring messages from the authorities are contradicted by the latest reports quoted by independent Russian media. They show, among other things, that the obligation to wear masks has been introduced at the Irkutsk Aluminum Smelter in Shelekhiv. Artem Fominych, director of the plant, called it a "preventive measure." "Better safe than sorry," he wrote, appealing to employees to seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms of the disease. He also noted that there is conflicting information circulating in Szelechów about the plague situation.

Meanwhile, as reported by "People of Baikal", five hospitals in Irkutsk have been placed under quarantine. A health care source said that "doctors are already talking openly about the plague," but the disease is not mentioned in official documents.

The quarantine covered, among others, maternity facility. Relatives of one of the women giving birth told "People of Baikal" that doctors, citing the threat of plague, refused to allow the woman's husband to enter the delivery room, even though the couple had previously paid for the possibility of a family birth.