Health authorities in China’s Hunan and Guangdong provinces and the Hulunbuir region of Inner Mongolia have issued plague prevention guidance in recent days, following the death of a researcher at a Russian institute in Siberia. Hunan’s disease control authority published its health reminder on October 9, and Guangdong’s provincial disease control bureau released a plague information piece the same day. Hulunbuir’s disease control center issued a risk notice that explicitly mentioned the Russian case and urged people arriving from plague-endemic areas of the Russian Far East to monitor their health.
Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk-based Siberian and Far East anti-plague research institute, was hospitalized with severe pneumonia on September 29 and died on October 2 despite ventilator support. Russian officials said on October 8 that medical observation of all her contacts had ended and tests found no dangerous pathogens, but the cause of death remains unknown.
Hulunbuir’s notice advised anyone with suspected symptoms to seek immediate medical care and disclose any travel to plague-endemic areas. Hunan’s experts said the province has no natural plague foci and infection risk is extremely low. Its reminder listed “three reports and three don’ts,” covering reporting dead rodents, suspected patients and unexplained high fevers, and avoiding hunting, eating or transporting wild animals that carry plague. Hulunbuir issued a similar “three don’ts, three musts, three protections” guideline. Guangdong’s article reportedly did not mention the Russian case.
A Mongolian community member living in Japan said the warnings likely followed instructions from higher authorities, given Hulunbuir’s border with Russia. A Guangdong IT worker said Inner Mongolia sees a few mostly bubonic plague cases each year, with no sign of a large pneumonic outbreak. A Linyi, Shandong resident said she saw no local warning, but noted that some online posts discussing the issue were deleted.
Source: Radio Free Asia, October 12, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shehui/2026/10/12/china-cdc-plague-russia/