A Plague Epidemic Is Breaking Out In The Irkutsk Region
- 4.10.2026, 12:52
Several hospitals have been closed for quarantine, and a mask mandate has been implemented.
The Irkutsk Aluminum Plant (IrkAZ) in Shelekhov has implemented a mask mandate following the death of a local woman from the plague, according to the plant’s director Artem Fominykh. According to him, this is a “preventive measure.” “Better safe than sorry,” Fominykh wrote, urging plant employees to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any symptoms of the disease. He also noted that conflicting information about the plague situation is circulating in Shelekhov, according to The Moscow Times.
Meanwhile, in Irkutsk, three city hospitals—Nos. 1, 3, and 10—as well as the Ivanomatreninskaya Children’s Hospital and the maternity hospital have been placed under quarantine, according to “People of Lake Baikal.” A healthcare source for the publication stated that doctors “are already openly talking about the plague,” though the disease does not appear in official documents. At the same time, the source noted that “selective quarantine is not applied in cases of pneumonic plague—restrictions are imposed simultaneously on all medical facilities.” Relatives of one of the women in labor told the publication that doctors, citing the plague, refused to let her husband into the ward, despite a contract for private, paid childbirth services.
On October 2, authorities reported the death of a resident of the Irkutsk Region from the plague. The deceased was 27-year-old Daria Shipilova , an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. According to some reports, on September 25 she broke a test tube containing the pathogen in the laboratory; according to others, she had returned from a work trip to Buryatia, where an outbreak of the plague had been reported on the border with Mongolia. On September 29 Shipilova was admitted to the Shelekhov Hospital with symptoms of pneumonia and placed on a ventilator, but she died a few days later.
The hospital was placed under quarantine. Sources at “People of Lake Baikal” claim that, starting October 1, ambulances transporting people who had been in contact with Shipilova for testing have been escorted by FSB patrols. A total of 197 people were identified, 189 of whom were hospitalized: 114 are in one medical facility, 63 in another, and another 12 were sent to the Anti-Plague Institute. On October 2, Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev reported that no signs of the disease had been detected in them and that the laboratory test results were negative.
On the morning of October 3, the Baikalsk administration urged residents to temporarily avoid traveling to Shelekhov and neighboring settlements due to a death from the plague, but later deleted the post.