US experts have raised epidemic fears after a suspected Russian lab leak killed a worker, sparking hospital lockdowns and border checks over plague concerns
Panic is sweeping across Europe after US experts raised concerns that a suspected Russian plague outbreak could rapidly breach borders. Fears have been triggered following the mysterious death of Siberian laboratory worker Daria Shipilova, 28, who fell ill in Shelekhov.
Reports from inside Russia claim the lab technician smashed a glass test tube packed with lethal bacteria while working at the secretive Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. Kremlin officials deny any lab disaster occurred, claiming Daria died from “pneumonia of unknown aetiology”.
But strict isolation measures and sudden hospital lockdowns have sparked worries regarding a possible cover-up. Dr Andrew Weber, a former US Department of Defence official who has previously inspected Soviet-era anti-plague labs, warned Western authorities must act fast.
Dr Weber told The Sun: “If I were a public health authority in London, I would be monitoring flights and passengers coming from the region and screening them at the airport.”
He warned the threat level could skyrocket if it is confirmed that Daria contracted the pneumonic plague – the terrifying airborne strain that caused the medieval Black Death.
“If it’s pneumonic plague, which spreads through the air, it could spread pretty quickly,” Dr Weber said.
The White House confirmed the Trump administration “is aware of the outbreak, is monitoring it, and is evaluating possible courses of action.”
Panic is already gripping Russia’s neighbours. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia have all scrambled to implement preventive measures and tightened border controls.
Inside Siberia, authorities have put nearly 200 people into isolation across multiple hospitals. More than 60 of Daria’s colleagues were allegedly locked inside the anti-plague institute and forced to sleep on floors and chairs.
Factory workers at the giant Irkutsk Aluminium Plant have been ordered to wear masks, while strict quarantines hit children’s and maternity hospitals.
One trapped patient at City Clinical Hospital No.1 said: “We are under full quarantine. None of our relatives are being allowed in. We are not being allowed out.”
The Kremlin’s secrecy has fuelled fears that Moscow is reverting to old habits. Dr Weber said: “The lack of information is very disturbing.
“Putin is a habitual liar and they cover up things that make them look bad. So it wouldn’t surprise me that this is sort of normal procedure.”
Simon Clarke, head of biomedical studies at Reading University, told The Sun: “They cover it up because they’re embarrassed. It looks bad, it looks amateur, not something that happens in a properly developed nation.”
Terrified locals are refusing to buy the official story. One Siberian resident said: “The more they reassure us, the more frightening it gets.”
Another added: “They’re lying just for the sake of lying, automatically. It’s been like that for a long time.”
While Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor maintains the situation is “stable”, experts worry the Trans-Siberian Railway, which runs straight through Irkutsk, could allow an infected carrier to reach major hubs before boarding international flights.