plaguetracker.com evidence snapshot v1
url: https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-countries-hit-by-plague-as-russian-lab-worker-dies-12522349
captured_at: 2026-10-04T18:01:22.092Z
title: Map shows countries hit by plague after Russian lab worker dies

A map by the World Health Organization (WHO) outlines the plague's reach over the last seven years after it was reported that a laboratory worker in Russia had died from the disease.Russian media outlets said that a woman who worked for a plague research institute near Irkutsk in Siberia had told her colleagues she had accidentally broken a test tube with live bacteria while collecting samples for testing. She was later hospitalized and died, it was reported, although Russia's authorities have not confirmed that the plague was the cause of death.  The case was reported to be pneumonic, or lung-based plague, which according to the WHO is the most virulent form of the disease and can be transmitted via respiratory particles to other humans.  ...Newsweek has contacted the Russian health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and the WHO for comment. What Are the Kinds of Plague and Where Are They Reported? According to the WHO, there are three main clinical forms of plague infection—bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic. The health body said that as an animal disease, plague is found on all continents, except Oceania. There is a risk of the disease wherever the presence of plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis and human populations co-exist.The WHO has listed countries of suspected or confirmed cases of the disease between 2019 and 2025, totaling nearly 4,000 suspected occurrences. As of Sunday, its map highlighted how Russia was one of the countries where the disease has been detected. The WHO said that plague epidemics have occurred in Africa, Asia and South America.Since the 1990s, most human cases were reported in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar as shown by its map, which was last updated on September 29. Russia is also highlighted on the map although the latest update precedes reports that have emerged in the last week. ...What Has Been Reported About the Russian Plague Case?Authorities in Russia have not publicly confirmed the plague but Russian media outlets both linked to the state and independent, are reporting the case, sparking speculation of a cover up. The woman was hospitalized on Tuesday with symptoms of severe pneumonia in Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk. She was placed on a ventilator and died two days later, according to independent Russian language outlet People of Baikal, which named the woman as Daria Shipilova, aged 28.  The Mash Telegram channel, which has links to Russia's authorities, reported that the woman had displayed the symptoms after returning from a working trip to the Russian republic of Buryatia and that the disease was recorded by its border with Mongolia.   But Buryatia’s government head Alexei Tsydenov denied she had visited the republic. He posted on social media that while she likely died of plague, there were no outbreaks in the republic, including in areas bordering Mongolia. “The source of infection stems from circumstances unrelated to Buryatia,” he posted on VK.  At least 197 people who may have had contact with her have been placed under medical isolation, including over 100 in hospital wards, according to Kremlin-backed REN TV. The People of Baikal channel reported on Sunday that at least four Irkutsk hospitals had been closed for quarantine, for three weeks and that patient visits are prohibited.  A healthcare source told the outlet that doctors are "already openly talking about plague” even though no official statement by health authorities has confirmed this. However, Rospotrebnadzor reported that there were no accidents involving pathogenic microorganisms at the institute. Authorities canceled planned public events in Irkutsk, while police have opened a criminal investigation into potential health safety violations, according to the 112 Telegram channel. On Saturday, the Irkutsk Aluminum Smelter which is located in Shelekhov, introduced a mask mandate, according to a statement by its director who said that meetings had taken place involving Anna Popova, Russia’s chief sanitary doctor. “Rospotrebnadzor is implementing the necessary set of anti-epidemic measures,” the statement said, without referring directly to the plague.  Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Cristina Diciu.