{
  "id": 12931570,
  "title": "Russia lifts quarantine in Irkutsk region, where lab worker allegedly died of plague",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/russia-lifts-quarantine-in-irkutsk-region-where-lab-worker-allegedly",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-08T18:33:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/russia-lifts-quarantine-in-irkutsk-region-where-lab-worker-allegedly-died-of-plague/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "According to Russian state media, quarantine measures have been lifted in the Irkutsk region of Russia, where a lab worker died on October 2. The 28-year-old laboratory technician, Darya Shipilova, worked at the Anti-Plague Institute of Eastern Siberia and the Far East. Initial reports suggested she may have died from pneumonic plague following a laboratory accident. However, specific details regarding the cause of death have not been confirmed. Over 60 employees were placed under precautionary confinement at the institute. Law enforcement officers, specifically FSB agents, escorted ambulances carrying individuals who had been in contact with Shipilova for medical examinations. While Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's federal public health agency, acknowledged the involvement of anti-epidemic measures, the Russian government has claimed her death was due to pneumonia of an unknown cause. Irkutsk Oblast Governor Igor Kobzev stated that Shipilova was vaccinated against relevant infections and that safety protocols were confirmed. Additionally, over 4,000 laboratory tests were conducted, finding no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms.",
  "summary": "Initial reports raised concerns that 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Anti-Plague Institute, might have died of pneumonic plague after a laboratory accident.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}