What’s known about plague institute lab worker's death in Russia?
Andrew Osborn, Jennifer Rigby and Mark Trevelyan Reuters
Cover Media - Shareable
The World Health Organization says it does not have the "full picture" following the suspected plague death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia.
MOSCOW/LONDON — A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances on Oct. 2, prompting authorities to initially quarantine about 200 people and causing public health fears on social media.
A satellite image shows the Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, Russia, May 8, 2025. An employee of the institute, Darya Shipilova, 28, was named by Russian media as the laboratory worker who, according to authorities, died from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin on Oct. 2, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people and causing public health fears on social media.
The suspicious death last week of a worker at a research lab in Siberia that has fueled global concerns about suspected pneumonic plague is just the latest example of how Russia manages the official narrative. The Kremlin has long maintained a culture of secrecy when it comes to controlling public information, especially involving accidents – from industrial disasters to health emergencies, as FRANCE 24's International Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert explains.
A satellite image shows the Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, Russia, May 8, 2025. An employee of the institute, Darya Shipilova, 28, was named by Russian media as the laboratory worker who, according to authorities, died from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin on Oct. 2, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people and causing public health fears on social media.
