sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
The woman who died of the plague in Shelekhov worked as a lab technician and broke a test tube containing the infectious agent.
About 200 of her contacts have been quarantined.
October 2, 2026·
The girl's name was Daria Shipilova, and she was 28 years old, People of Baikal was able to confirm. She worked as a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. On September 25, Shipilova broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen. She soon fell ill, and an ambulance took her to the Shelekhov hospital. She stayed there for three days and died on the night of October 2.
Two years ago, Shipilova graduated with honors from her residency at the Irkutsk State Medical University in the specialty of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics.
"It's likely the girl's number of contacts was as high as three digits," says Irkutsk journalist Pavel Stepanov. Residents of Shelekhov have already noticed people wearing protective suits, masks, and gloves on the streets. Residents also reported that masks were being distributed in kindergartens.
On the evening of October 1, a meeting was held in Irkutsk with the heads of law enforcement and administrative agencies. Since October 1, FSB patrols have begun escorting ambulances transporting people who had been in contact with Shipilova for testing, according to LB sources. In total, according to their estimates, about 90 contacts were quarantined in a COVID-19 center that day. By October 2, the figure had increased to about 200.
We spoke with a doctor familiar with treating severe infections. He explained how events typically unfold in particularly dangerous infections.
According to the doctor, plague is treated with strong doses of antibiotics, which can cause severe damage to the body but are not fatal. There are two forms of plague: bubonic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague is transmitted through a rodent bite and is not spread from person to person. The pneumonic form, however, is transmitted from person to person and is highly contagious.
If the case is sporadic, he believes, information won't be released quickly. Under such a quarantine, entry and exit are prohibited, and troops may be deployed. The doctor repeated this twice: they are specifically trained not to speak to the press in such situations.
"Why is the hospital silent? A healthcare facility always has a press secretary, and only they can comment. Calling the emergency room or the front desk is pointless. You won't get a comment from the chief physician's office either, unless there's a dedicated PR specialist. Doctors are prohibited from speaking to journalists: doctor-patient confidentiality and a ban on unauthorized statements," the specialist notes.
The doctor explained that quarantine of this level is imposed only for a few infections, including smallpox and plague, which are particularly dangerous. Large institutes with a strong scientific base, including the Novosibirsk Institute, handle diagnostics, and Moscow and St. Petersburg are also involved. First, doctors notify the relevant authorities, the department is closed, an investigation is conducted, and specialists arrive and conduct tests. After cultures and identification of the pathogen, information can be provided in approximately six days.
baikal-journal.ru
About 200 of her contacts have been quarantined.
October 2, 2026·
The girl's name was Daria Shipilova, and she was 28 years old, People of Baikal was able to confirm. She worked as a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. On September 25, Shipilova broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen. She soon fell ill, and an ambulance took her to the Shelekhov hospital. She stayed there for three days and died on the night of October 2.
Two years ago, Shipilova graduated with honors from her residency at the Irkutsk State Medical University in the specialty of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics.
"It's likely the girl's number of contacts was as high as three digits," says Irkutsk journalist Pavel Stepanov. Residents of Shelekhov have already noticed people wearing protective suits, masks, and gloves on the streets. Residents also reported that masks were being distributed in kindergartens.
On the evening of October 1, a meeting was held in Irkutsk with the heads of law enforcement and administrative agencies. Since October 1, FSB patrols have begun escorting ambulances transporting people who had been in contact with Shipilova for testing, according to LB sources. In total, according to their estimates, about 90 contacts were quarantined in a COVID-19 center that day. By October 2, the figure had increased to about 200.
We spoke with a doctor familiar with treating severe infections. He explained how events typically unfold in particularly dangerous infections.
According to the doctor, plague is treated with strong doses of antibiotics, which can cause severe damage to the body but are not fatal. There are two forms of plague: bubonic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague is transmitted through a rodent bite and is not spread from person to person. The pneumonic form, however, is transmitted from person to person and is highly contagious.
If the case is sporadic, he believes, information won't be released quickly. Under such a quarantine, entry and exit are prohibited, and troops may be deployed. The doctor repeated this twice: they are specifically trained not to speak to the press in such situations.
"Why is the hospital silent? A healthcare facility always has a press secretary, and only they can comment. Calling the emergency room or the front desk is pointless. You won't get a comment from the chief physician's office either, unless there's a dedicated PR specialist. Doctors are prohibited from speaking to journalists: doctor-patient confidentiality and a ban on unauthorized statements," the specialist notes.
The doctor explained that quarantine of this level is imposed only for a few infections, including smallpox and plague, which are particularly dangerous. Large institutes with a strong scientific base, including the Novosibirsk Institute, handle diagnostics, and Moscow and St. Petersburg are also involved. First, doctors notify the relevant authorities, the department is closed, an investigation is conducted, and specialists arrive and conduct tests. After cultures and identification of the pathogen, information can be provided in approximately six days.
Погибшая от чумы в Шелехове работала лаборанткой и разбила пробирку с возбудителем инфекции
В Шелеховской больнице погибла девушка с подозрением на чуму
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