Russia Isolates 197 After Lab Worker Dies of Plague in Irkutsk

3 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Oct 2

At least 197 people were placed under medical observation in Irkutsk region after a 27- or 28-year-old anti-plague institute worker died Thursday from plague following a lab accident.
The woman reportedly broke a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples, was hospitalized Tuesday near Irkutsk with severe pneumonia, put on a ventilator and later died.
More than 100 contacts are in hospital wards, the Shelekhov district hospital was quarantined, and Irkutsk canceled public events while officials coordinated containment measures.
Governor Igor Kobzev said all identified contacts had tested negative and shown no symptoms, while police reportedly opened a criminal case over possible health-safety violations causing death.
Media reports described the case as suspected pneumonic plague, the form that affects the lungs and can spread through respiratory droplets, though regional officials did not specify the strain.