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Roughly 200 people are under medical observation in Russia following the unexplained death of infectious disease researcher Darya Shipilova at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. According to Rospotrebnadzor, a Russian public health agency, she died last week from pneumonia of an unknown cause. While some reports claimed she accidentally broke a test tube containing Yersinia pestis on September 25, leading to her death between October 1 and October 2, the head of the neighboring region initially stated she likely died of plague before altering that statement.

Rospotrebnadzor has downplayed the incident, stating that no micro-organisms associated with professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient. Former Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko said Shipilova’s infection was most likely not the plague and that there will be no spread of the disease. However, current agency head Anna Popova visited Irkutsk on Friday after local governor Igor Kobzev described it as a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection.

International bodies are closely monitoring the situation. A US State Department spokesperson told CNN that many details remain unconfirmed and encouraged Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control also stated it is monitoring the situation very closely. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan, located approximately 1,500 miles away, announced Monday that it is introducing quarantine controls at state border crossing points.