Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration is monitoring reports of a potential "black death" plague outbreak in Russia after a researcher died of the mysterious ailment.

According to a Trump administration official that spoke with Axios on Sunday, the White House is closely monitoring reports of a plague outbreak in Siberia that has claimed the life of at least one researcher.

Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old researcher at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk, on September 25 broke a test tube containing live Yersinia Pestis, the deadly bacteria responsible for the black plague. She passed away in the early hours of October 2.

"The sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov is stable," Russia's state agency that handles infectious diseases, Rospotrebnadzor, told CNN.

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According to the agency, Shipilova died of a "pneumonia of unknown etiology" and, as a result, measures have been carried out including the quarantining of around 200 people who had been in close contact with her.

Reports shared by Euro News indicate that residents in the region have seen people wearing protective suits, including masks and gloves, on the streets. In some cases, masks have been made compulsory.

According to the White House, the Trump administration "is aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options." Little information was available on the nature of Washington's response.

The Black Plague, which occurred in Europe between 1346 and 1353, was one of the most devastating events in human history, wiping out between 30–60% of the continent's population.

It still exists in parts of the US, notably in populations of prairie dogs which have been known to then pass the disease on to household pets. In 2024, an Oregon resident contracted the plague from their pet cat.

The possible plague outbreak has triggered concern across much of Russia and the the world, but local authorities stressed that all those being monitored are showing no symptoms and have tested negative.