Pneumonic plague claims the life of a 28-year-old technician in Irkutsk, up to 200 people in quarantine

A 28-year-old employee of a medical laboratory has died from pneumonic plague in Irkutsk, Siberia, while around 200 people who may have been in contact with her have been placed in quarantine, according to reports by Russian media.

Daria Shipilova, who worked as a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Plague Research Institute, is suspected of having been infected while on duty. According to published reports, the infection may have occurred after a test tube broke inside the laboratory.

People who may have been in contact with the 28-year-old have been placed under quarantine by the authorities. Until then, Russia’s Ministry of Health had not issued an official statement about the case.

The governor of Buryatia, Alexei Chidenov, had earlier stated on social media that a woman in the neighboring Irkutsk region had died after being infected with the plague.

Plague is caused by bacteria and is considered an infectious disease. The World Health Organization says that the pneumonic form spreads easily and can cause death if treatment is not started immediately.