this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2026
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Darya Shipilova is said to have been exposed to the pathogen while working at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia

Hundreds of people have been placed into quarantine in Siberia after a laboratory worker died of suspected plague, according to reports.

Darya Shipilova, an employee at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, was exposed to the bacteria after she accidentally broke a test tube containing the pathogen while she was collecting samples, the Kyiv Independent reported.

She was hospitalised on 29 September with severe pneumonia of "unknown origin” and placed on a ventilator, but died shortly after.

Independent Russian outlet Lyudi Baikal reported that several hospitals in the city of Irkutsk had closed for a three-week quarantine.

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[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 1 points 50 seconds ago

What a shit report, honestly. "It is said", "according to reports", "the Kyiv Independent reported", and my favorites "after breaking a test tube". Go notice, Lyudi Baikal "RadioFreeEurope", "RsdioLiberty". We are dicking doomed.

[–] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 2 points 2 hours ago

scans for the .ml posters

Huh that's craaaazy lol.

[–] Thor_Whale@lemmus.org 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Here we go again. How do you accidentally break something that you have to handle so gently. And you've handled so gently countless and countless times.

[–] myyass@lemmy.world 1 points 6 minutes ago

Did you ever watch the first Resident Evil movie? Someone just tossed a vial and said woopsies lol

[–] YragNitram1956@feddit.uk 4 points 3 hours ago

Plague is caused by a bacterium not a virus!

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Is that lab owned by the Zontik (зонтик) Corporation?

[–] myyass@lemmy.world 1 points 5 minutes ago
[–] FreshLight@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Early 2000s FPS and action movies were right all along. The Russians really do seem villainy..

This sounded like an accident

[–] GreenBean@lemmy.today 7 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

There are cases of Human plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, in the United States now.

[–] YouTalkinToMe@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Sure, but they got Ivermectin

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

Actually, there always have been since introduction, especially in the american southwest. It was never eradicated here.

Source

[–] Thor_Whale@lemmus.org 1 points 2 hours ago

You're not kidding. There's a small small cave in California over by Mammoth that people said if you go into it you will get sick and die because it's filled mice and plague.

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 46 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (6 children)

For all folks concerned of massive epidemic:

  • The people who contacted her after the incident are isolated, the hospital quarantined
  • Yes, there is a vaccine. People are not commonly vaccinated because plague is very rare nowadays, but they can be as needed.
  • It can be cured by antibiotics. Care needs to be prompt though, and that's what Daria very recklessly missed. Fatal mistake for someone who oopsied in a pathogen lab.

Also, to those concerned that this is a biological weapon lab:

  • This would be the most stupid and inefficient biological weapon. Again, we have the vaccine AND the cure.
  • Disease research institutes are a normal thing throughout the world. We need them to efficiently combat outbreaks should they ever reappear.
[–] khaleer@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 hours ago

looking at how people react in regards of vaccines, masks, and medical misinformation, I think even a common cold can be a successful bio-weapon

[–] kungen@feddit.nu 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, people seem to think the plague is extinct? There are yearly cases of plague in nearby Mongolia for example. It's also not usually as easy to spread compared to viruses like influensa. It's still a scary thing to think about, but nothing for us to worry about really...

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

yersinia pestis is a zoonotic disease, it never went away. its only the plague flea+black rat that was the problem in medieval times, i think it was combination of stray dogs+cats that helped it. its still in wild rodent populations.

[–] Floon@lemmy.ml 7 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I am pinning my hopes on a random Lemmy commentor.

I hate this timeline.

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 7 points 12 hours ago

This random commentor happens to be a Russian microbiologist, so you're in pretty safe hands.

(No, I do not develop biological weapons, nor am I aware of any such facilities)

[–] Avicenna@programming.dev 4 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (2 children)

I mean unless they are somehow trying to develop an antibiotic and vaccine resistant strain of the plague? If it were the case then it is almost 100% a bioweapon research at best under the guise of bioweapon security. But I don't know if this person is a bioweapon researcher or a public health researcher.

[–] Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

my fear is dumber than that, people just wont wanna take the vaccine and antibiotic and there will be this weird disease loving faction that does great damage to the greater society.

[–] Avicenna@programming.dev 2 points 4 hours ago

Lol another twist on bioterrorism

[–] Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 4 points 8 hours ago

Yes it is much cheaper and easier to convince people to not use vaccines and other proven medical interventions than it would be to create a novel virus. Look at the idiotic life threatening things people are willing to do to follow a TicToc trend or Insta. Not to mention all the idiocy they will follow due to AI. Those are the 'deadly viruses' people should be fearing.

[–] cardboardboxfort@lemmy.world 5 points 13 hours ago

I mean unless they are somehow trying to develop an antibiotic and vaccine resistant strain of the plague?

That would be unwise as you'd ideally want to have an antibiotic available for your own troops in a war. We also pretty much know about all of Russia's bioweapon work after the cold war ended, there's even an Anthrax island site they abandoned.

Fortunately bio weapon research is even more niche today than it was at the height of cold war tensions and all nations have cut back and destroyed big chunks of their stockpiles.

Also keep in mind that things like leprosy still occur in the USA (Florida is even seeing a small increase in cases) so it's not necessarily that uncommon or a cause for concern. Things like the plague, leprosy and even strep throat (known as scarlet fever back when it regularly killed kids and routinely caused deafness in survivors) and easier to cure/treat thanks to modern medicine. The hygienic practices we have these days also help keep these things from breaking out like they used to.

[–] tachikoma@lemmy.today 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

This would be the most stupid and inefficient biological weapon. Again, we have the vaccine AND the cure.

Erm, Actually. It's obvious they're still researching the Suppression and Sympto-Statis gene tech so they can sneak the plague into other countries without panic.

You casuals wouldn't understand. 😏 /s

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[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 10 points 17 hours ago (8 children)

Plague isn't a virus. Sigh.

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[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 23 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

How could Joe Biden and the Democrats let this happen! They're only doing this yo make Trump look bad, and after the election it will conveniently disappear.

  • stuff said by right-wingers about covid in mid-2020
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[–] Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world 16 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (3 children)

Anyone who wants something extra to feel anxious about should read the hot zone by Richard Preston. It's about Ebola, not plague, but it's. . . alarming. Ebola is a virus, not a bacteria like plague, but the difficulty of containment even in secure labs, and the possibilities of mutation - as far as I know, they're not dissimilar. Especially if a government lab has been fucking around trying to weaponise it, as I suspect happened here.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 13 points 20 hours ago (6 children)

I will never understand the thought behind weaponizing diseases. They kill indiscriminately, even you, the developer or the president who orders it's release. Anybody who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 8 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I think the idea is to develop a vaccine or cure along with the disease so you can deploy that selectively.

Doesn't make the idea any better though.

[–] Egret@lemmus.org 6 points 17 hours ago

Especially because diseases obviously mutate and the cure may then be ineffective!

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[–] tramdan@piefed.social 12 points 20 hours ago

'Anti' plague research.

[–] zifk@sh.itjust.works 19 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Does the author not know that there's a difference between a virus and a bacterium?

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[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 11 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

How long until the orange pedo uses this as an excuse for a lockdown and cancels the midterms

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