Russia hospitalizes nearly 200 people over suspected plague infection

Authorities in Russia's Irkutsk region have placed a hospital under quarantine after a patient's death that several Russian media outlets have linked to pneumonic plague. The inpatient ward of a hospital in the town of Shelekhov was shut down, though its outpatient clinic remains open.

Reports about the closure first circulated on social media in early October, and the local mayor soon confirmed that quarantine measures had been introduced at the facility. According to a television news report cited by multiple outlets, more than 180 people who had contact with the deceased patient have been hospitalized for observation, with some transferred to a specialized institute that handles particularly dangerous infections.

Circumstances of death unclear

The patient, a young woman, was admitted to hospital with pneumonia-like symptoms and died within days despite being placed on a ventilator. Media reports offer conflicting explanations for how she may have been infected — one version suggests a laboratory accident involving a sample of the dangerous bacterium, while another points to a trip abroad.

The regional governor convened an emergency meeting of the sanitary and epidemiological commission but did not publicly name the specific disease involved. Russia's chief public health official has also traveled to the region. Officials say all identified contacts are under medical supervision, show no symptoms so far, and have tested negative in laboratory checks.

Plague is a bacterial disease that can take several forms, including the most dangerous pneumonic form, which can spread between people through respiratory droplets. Most human infections occur through bites from fleas carried by infected rodents.