Darya Shipilova

Darya Shipilova was a 28-year-old laboratory technician working at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk, Siberia. She became newsworthy following reports of her death on October 2nd, 2020, after falling ill two days prior. Unconfirmed reports suggested she may have died of plague, sparking alarm and prompting authorities to place several hospitals in Siberia under quarantine and scores of people under medical observation. Russian authorities initially downplayed the reports, stating postmortem tests had not detected the disease, while the United States confirmed it was closely monitoring the situation. The circumstances surrounding her illness and death remain unclear, but the incident highlighted concerns about biosafety at research facilities handling dangerous pathogens.