Canada Monitors Reports of Siberian Plague Institute Worker's Death

Canada's Health Minister Marjorie Michel stated on Monday, October 5, 2026, that Canada is closely following reports of a woman's death who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia.

Russian authorities claim the woman contracted pneumonia from an unknown source and found no evidence it was caused by pathogens she worked with. Media outlets in Siberia, however, reported the woman died of pneumonic plague. Local authorities have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring people who had contact with the woman. Minister Michel affirmed no risk to Canada but noted her government is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries.

The deceased laboratory worker, identified by local media as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, died last week in undisclosed circumstances. Irkutsk regional Governor Igor Kobzev said she died from pneumonia of undetermined origin and that extensive laboratory tests found no microorganisms related to the girl's professional activities in her biological samples. Russia's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, similarly stated the institute found no signs of accidents involving pathogen handling.

However, independent Russian language outlet People of Baikal claimed the lab worker was exposed to plague via a broken test tube on September 25, and she was hospitalized on September 29, dying overnight between October 1 and October 2. The inpatient department at the Shelekhov hospital where she died has been closed due to a suspected particularly dangerous infection.

The WHO is aware of reports that a laboratory worker in Irkutsk Oblast died of severe pneumonia on October 2, 2026, and has offered support to Russia, contacting health authorities to verify the event and its implications. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is also watching the situation closely, expressing concern that the worker may have been infected at the laboratory and that the illness could have spread internally. The White House is monitoring reports and related quarantines.