Nearly 200 people under observation after Irkutsk lab worker dies from plague
Nearly 200 people under observation after Irkutsk lab worker dies from plague
伊尔库茨克实验室工作人员死于鼠疫，近200人接受医学观察
Oct. 2, 2026 — Health authorities in Siberia’s Irkutsk region have placed nearly 200 people under medical observation after a laboratory worker died from plague, according to media reports and a statement by a regional leader Friday. 2026年10月2日——据媒体报道及一位地区领导人周五发表的声明，西伯利亚伊尔库茨克地区的卫生部门在一名实验室工作人员死于鼠疫后，已将近200人置于医学观察之下。
Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, confirmed that the woman had died from an unspecified form of plague. Irkutsk officials had previously described the illness only as a “particularly dangerous infection.” 邻近的布里亚特共和国首脑阿列克谢·齐杰诺夫（Alexei Tsydenov）证实，该女子死于一种未指明类型的鼠疫。此前，伊尔库茨克官员仅将该疾病描述为一种“特别危险的传染病”。
Citing information from Russia’s consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and Buryatia’s government, Tsydenov said the woman had not visited his republic and that her infection was unrelated to the region. “There are no plague outbreaks in the republic, including in areas bordering Mongolia,” he wrote on social media. 齐杰诺夫援引俄罗斯消费者权益保护和公益监督局（Rospotrebnadzor）及布里亚特政府的信息表示，该女子并未到访过他的共和国，其感染与该地区无关。他在社交媒体上写道：“本共和国境内没有鼠疫疫情，包括与蒙古接壤的地区。”
The woman was identified as Daria Sh., a 27- or 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute, by the exiled news outlet Lyudi Baikala (People of Baikal) and pro-Kremlin broadcaster REN TV. She reportedly told medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples for testing. 据流亡新闻媒体《贝加尔湖人》（Lyudi Baikala）和亲克里姆林宫的REN电视台报道，该女子被确认为达里娅·什（Daria Sh.），是伊尔库茨克反鼠疫研究所的一名27或28岁的员工。据报道，她曾告诉医务人员，在采集检测样本时，她不慎打碎了一个装有活细菌的试管。
She was hospitalized Tuesday with symptoms of severe pneumonia in Shelekhov, a town near the regional capital of Irkutsk. She was placed on a ventilator and died Thursday, according to the reports. The Shelekhov district hospital was placed under quarantine pending an assessment by a special commission. 据报道，她周二因严重肺炎症状在伊尔库茨克地区首府附近的舍列霍夫镇住院。她被戴上呼吸机，并于周四死亡。舍列霍夫区医院已被隔离，等待特别委员会的评估。
At least 197 people who may have had contact with her were reportedly placed under medical isolation, including more than 100 in hospital wards. Authorities canceled planned public events in Irkutsk, while law enforcement reportedly opened a criminal investigation into potential health safety violations resulting in death. 据报道，至少有197名可能与她有过接触的人被医学隔离，其中100多人被安置在医院病房。当局取消了伊尔库茨克计划中的公共活动，执法部门据称已针对可能导致死亡的健康安全违规行为展开刑事调查。
Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev urged the public to remain calm after meeting with Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova to coordinate emergency containment measures. “All identified contact persons have been placed under medical observation. As of today, the contacts show no signs of illness, and their laboratory test results are negative,” Kobzev wrote on Telegram on Friday. He did not mention the reports of the laboratory worker’s death. 伊尔库茨克州州长伊戈尔·科布泽夫（Igor Kobzev）在与俄罗斯消费者权益保护和公益监督局局长安娜·波波娃（Anna Popova）会面协调紧急防控措施后，敦促公众保持冷静。科布泽夫周五在Telegram上写道：“所有已确定的接触者均已接受医学观察。截至今日，接触者未表现出任何患病迹象，且实验室检测结果均为阴性。”他并未提及有关该实验室工作人员死亡的报道。
Media reports have described the suspected infection as pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs and can spread between humans through respiratory droplets. Tsydenov’s statement did not specify the form of plague. 媒体报道称，此次疑似感染为肺鼠疫，该病会影响肺部，并可通过呼吸道飞沫在人与人之间传播。齐杰诺夫的声明中并未说明鼠疫的具体类型。