Plague cases suspected in Irkutsk; hospitals and maternity ward quarantined
In Irkutsk, several hospitals were placed under quarantine for three weeks, the publication Liudi Baikala reports. These include Municipal Clinical Hospitals No. 1, 3, and 10, as well as the Ivan-Matrenin Children's Clinical Hospital, TV Rain reports.
According to a healthcare source cited by the publication, doctors in Irkutsk “are already speaking openly about the plague,” even though the diagnosis is not listed in official documents sent to hospitals, and the plague is not mentioned.
The source claims that in the case of pneumonic plague, quarantine is not implemented selectively; instead, restrictions apply immediately to all medical facilities. Liudi Baikala notes that it cannot confirm whether all hospitals in the city have been closed.
Quarantine measures have also been introduced at at least one maternity hospital in the city. Relatives of a woman admitted for childbirth told the publication that doctors cited the plague as the reason. The woman's husband was denied entry to the room, even though the family had a paid contract for a partner-assisted birth.
The authorities have not officially commented on the situation, the publication notes. Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev did not mention the plague. On October 2, he announced that the issue involved a “highly dangerous infection” and that “the situation is under strict control.” Previously, among officials, only the head of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, had partially confirmed the reports regarding the plague.
Authorities had previously imposed a quarantine at the Shelekhov Central District Hospital. The Irkutsk Aluminum Plant operates in that city; a mandatory mask-wearing policy has been in effect there since October 3. At the same time, authorities in Baikalsk asked residents not to travel to Shelekhov due to the plague, though they deleted the post about two hours later.
Daria Shipilova, who died in the Irkutsk region, worked as a laboratory technician at an institute specializing in plague control; according to the publication Liudi Baikala, she reportedly broke a test tube containing the disease's pathogen. The outlet reports that approximately 200 people Daria may have come into contact with have been placed under quarantine. Residents of Shelekhov have already spotted people on the streets wearing protective suits, masks, and gloves.
