Second Death Reported at Siberian Hospital Where Plague Lab Worker Died as Moscow Denies Outbreak

A second person has reportedly died at a hospital in Russia's Irkutsk region, according to the Daily Mail, which cited unspecified local media reports. The claim has not been independently verified, and the newspaper's article provides no identified medical source or laboratory evidence establishing that plague caused the alleged death.

The report follows the death of Darya Shipilova, 28, a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, on 2 October. Russian health authorities have described her illness as pneumonia of unknown cause and say no plague cases have been detected among people who had contact with her.

Second-Death Report Leaves Key Questions Unanswered

The Daily Mail reported on 6 October that Russian media had claimed another person died at an Irkutsk district hospital after allegedly contracting plague. Its article did not identify the person or name the original outlet responsible for that specific claim.

The hospital's description also leaves uncertainty over whether it was the same facility in Shelekhov where Shipilova was treated. The available reporting does not establish a connection between the alleged second death and her illness.

The newspaper separately said plague-related reports had disappeared from Channel 5 and Kommersant. It did not clearly establish whether those reports concerned the alleged second death, and their removal has not been independently verified for this article.

Neither the reported death nor its alleged connection to plague has been established. Russian authorities' statements about Shipilova and her contacts do not directly resolve whether another person died at the hospital.

Russian Watchdog Rejects Regional Restriction Claims

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's public health watchdog, said on Tuesday, 6 October, that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov remained calm.

According to the agency, extended testing of samples taken from Shipilova found no microorganisms associated with her work. It also said inspections at the institute found no emergency involving the handling of pathogenic microorganisms.

The watchdog rejected online claims that strict new restrictions had been introduced across the Irkutsk region. Separately, Reuters reported that a hospital in Shelekhov had been placed under quarantine. Precautions at an individual hospital are distinct from restrictions covering the wider region.

A local official told Reuters that approximately 60% of those placed under quarantine had been released. Nearly 200 people who had been in contact with Shipilova were initially reported to have been quarantined.

Changed Statements Added to Uncertainty

Alexei Tsydenov, head of neighbouring Buryatia, initially wrote that Shipilova had died of plague before amending his statement to say she possibly had, according to Current Time.

The outlet also reported that the Baikalsk administration deleted a post advising residents to limit visits to Shelekhov, while REN-TV removed reports about the case.

Those changes have added to questions about the information being released. They do not, however, establish that plague caused Shipilova's death or that authorities concealed another death.

Reports of an accidental exposure involving a broken test tube also remain unconfirmed. The cause of her illness has not been independently established by the material available.

Laboratory Testing Is Needed to Confirm Plague

The plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. According to the World Health Organization, people can become infected through flea bites, contact with infected tissues or materials, or inhalation of respiratory particles from someone with pneumonic plague.

Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can spread between people. Laboratory testing is required to confirm the diagnosis, and early antibiotic treatment can save lives.

Protective clothing, quarantine and medical observation do not by themselves establish that plague has been detected. Such measures can be taken while authorities investigate an unidentified illness.

For now, the alleged second death remains an uncorroborated report. Confirmation of whether it occurred, where it happened and what caused it is still outstanding, while Russian authorities maintain that testing has found no plague cases among Shipilova's contacts.