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Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Truth or Fake - Russian lab worker’s death sparks plague fears as unverified claims spread online - France 24

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3 min

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it considers the public health risk in Russia to be “low”, and “very low” for Europe. But that has not stopped fears and misinformation from spreading on social media.

Russian media identified the woman as 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and Far East. The exact circumstances of her death remain unclear, although reports say she died two days after falling ill at work.

Several theories have emerged online about how she may have become sick. One claims she dropped a test tube containing live pathogens at the laboratory. Others suggest she fell ill following a field trip near the Mongolian border, or after travelling to Thailand.

There is currently no evidence supporting any of these theories, as they remain unconfirmed.

The governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region, citing the country’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, rejected the claim that Shipilova had been exposed to pathogens in a laboratory accident. He said microorganisms associated with work had not been detected in her samples, and that no disease-related cases had been reported among employees at the institute over the previous 10 days.

The head of the neighbouring Republic of Buryatia also addressed speculation that Shipilova had travelled there. In a post on Telegram, he said she had not visited...



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