At the center of Russia’s plague scare, residents ‘don’t trust’ officials – but have little other choice

In the Siberian town of Shelekhov, a plague scare has dominated global headlines, yet residents may find themselves with less information than rumors circulating online. When Darya Shipilova, a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, passed away at the age of 28, concern spread worldwide due to the sudden nature of her death and the lack of official confirmation.

Six days after the news broke, without formal verification, the situation has evoked a mix of resignation and skepticism among the town's 12-mile radius south of Irkutsk.

Officially, Russia's health and consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, reported Shipilova's death as pneumonia of "unknown" origin, downplaying any suspicion of her work-related illness while implementing contact isolation measures. Yet, the Kremlin has emphasized the importance of relying solely on their updates and urging the public to do the same.

Residents of Shelekhov, Irkutsk, and Angarsk spoke to CNN to provide insights into the events leading up to this scare. Despite the government's directives, many locals expressed a lack of trust in the official narrative, citing a plethora of rumors circulating online. Evgeniya, a 36-year-old resident, remarked that life in the town feels "normal, as if nothing had happened," revealing that her friend in the pharmacy observed people stocking up on antibiotics due to the plague rumors.

Although some residents, such as 26-year-old Ekaterina, expressed greater confidence in the official information, she noted that "everything is fine" and that there was no reason to worry as everyone in contact with Shipilova had been isolated. She emphasized that "people are not giving in to panic and are carrying on with their lives as usual," highlighting that "this is not like coronavirus, which was something unknown to people. The outlook is much better."