After the death of a lab worker in the Siberian region of Russia, there has been a stir due to the fear of plague spread. The matter is more serious because the woman who died herself was working in an anti-plague research institute in Russia. According to media reports, around 200 people who came in contact with it have been kept under medical observation. Measures like quarantine have been taken in many hospitals and masks have been made mandatory for workers in industrial plants. However, the most important thing is that Russia has not yet confirmed that the woman died of plague. Due to this, in some media reports, it is also being called Wuhan Part-2. It is also being claimed that it is 100 times more deadly than covid.

American intelligence agencies say that biological weapons are still being worked on in Russia. These programs are kept confidential. These spaces are not externally audited. Even internally there is less effort to disclose any error or accident information. In 1979, anthrax spores were released from a military facility in Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union. 66 people died in this accident. When the truth of the incident has come out after many years. Let’s find out how dangerous the latest case is and whether there is really any need to fear it…

What happened on September 25th?

Derya Shipilova, a 28-year-old lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, based in Shelekhov, Irkutsk Region, Russia, is a vital link in the case. According to local media reports, on September 25, a test tube broke in his hand during work. It is claimed that it contained the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which causes the plague.

According to the report, Shipilova’s health began to deteriorate after this. He was admitted to the district hospital in Shelekhov on September 29. He had severe pneumonia-like symptoms and was put on a ventilator when his condition worsened. But he died between October 1 and 2. However, this whole story is yet to be independently confirmed.

Russia’s health monitoring agency Rospotrebnadzor called it pneumonia of unknown cause. The agency says the patient’s sample did not contain any microorganisms that could be related to his professional work. The agency also said that no accidents involving pathogenic microorganisms have been confirmed at the facility.

It means that there are two conflicting things going on at this time. News of the lab accident and plague infection, reported in local media and in an official Russian statement, did not confirm the plague.

Then why were 200 people kept under surveillance?

People who came into contact with Shipilova were identified. Separate reports put the number at 197, and 189 of them have been hospitalized for observation. According to some reports, 114 people were under observation in the medical center, 63 in other centers and 12 in the anti-plague institute. Plague infection has not yet been confirmed among these people.

There are also reports of quarantine in 5 hospitals in Irkutsk and Shelekhov. According to reports, restrictions were imposed in some hospitals for 3 weeks. At the Irkutsk aluminum plant in Shelekhov, masks were made mandatory as a precautionary measure from October 3.

Why is America watching?

The matter is no longer limited to Russia. The US State Department has said it has received information about a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk. The US is monitoring the situation with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and other agencies. The US also said that many facts are yet to be confirmed. He has asked Russia to share accurate information quickly and transparently.

If this is indeed a case of pneumonic plague, it is a form of plague that spreads from one infected person to another through respiratory droplets. This is the reason why the American government has decided to keep an eye on it.

How dangerous is the plague?

Plague is a disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. It is usually found in small mammals and their fleas. In humans, it is spread by the bite of an infected flea, contact with infected tissues or body fluids, and in some cases through infected respiratory droplets. According to WHO, its three main forms are bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic plague.

Pneumonic plague is the most severe form. After infection, symptoms can appear very quickly. According to WHO, it can prove to be extremely fatal if it is not treated in time, but if the appropriate antibiotic treatment is given in time, the patient’s chances of survival increase significantly. According to the CDC, symptoms of pneumonic plague usually appear 1 to 3 days after infection. Symptoms may include high fever, weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain and cough.

The last major plague epidemic in the world was the Third Plague. It began in 1855 in Yunnan, China and lasted until about 1960. According to the WHO, human cases of plague are still reported in many countries today. The majority of cases received by WHO between 2019 and 2025 were from Congo and Madagascar.

Is this a new pandemic crisis?

It is too early to say so now. One death and a suspected infection is not a plague epidemic. Currently, the plague has not been confirmed in official tests in Russia and the infection has not been confirmed in people kept under observation. So, the biggest question at this point is what was the true cause of Shipilova’s illness and whether she contracted a work-related infection.

Plague caused great destruction in history, but today the situation is different. According to the WHO, plague can be treated with antibiotics and treatment can be effective if detected early. Now the results of the investigation will determine whether it was just a serious illness or a case of a truly dangerous lab explosion.