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Russian lab technician's death sparks plague scare, mass quarantine in Siberia

A laboratory technician at Russia's Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia died from severe pneumonia on October 1-2, triggering quarantine of nearly 200 contacts and conflicting official statements. Darya Shipilova, 28, may have been exposed to Yersinia pestis (plague bacterium) while working in the lab, according to local reports, though federal authorities deny any laboratory accident. The head of neighboring Buryatia said she died "possibly from the plague," though the diagnosis remains unconfirmed. 189 people were hospitalized for observation and several hospitals placed under quarantine. Moscow now says Shipilova died from "pneumonia of unknown etiology" with no pathogen linked to her lab work detected. Authorities briefly posted then deleted travel warnings, and media outlet REN TV removed related reporting. No secondary plague cases confirmed; testing among contacts found 2 COVID-19 and 2 rhinovirus cases instead.