“Positive and Negative Updates Re: Lab Leak in Russia” by Caleb Horn

<p> In case you missed it, there appears to have been a recent lab leak of pneumonic plague in Russia that killed a lab worker.</p><p> Some negative updates: </p><ul> <li value="1">At least four Irkutsk&nbsp;hospitals are now under mandatory three-week quarantine. </li><li value="2">According to Annie Jacobsen who wrote the book on this scenario, the Russian national security apparatus is now involved. </li></ul><p> A positive update: </p><ul> <li value="1">According to Chris Painter at METR, no reported secondary cases yet. </li></ul><p> <br> </p></br></p> <p>---</p>

<p><b>First published:</b><br/>

October 4th, 2026 </p>

<p><b>Source:</b><br/>

<a href="https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/isyxM8LGF3vxyr3eW/positive-and-negative-updates-re-lab-leak-in-russia?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/isyxM8LGF3vxyr3eW/positive-and-negative-updates-re-lab-leak-in-russia</a> </p>

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<p>Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=lesswrong&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>.</p>

<p>---</p><div style="max-width: 100%";><p><strong>Images from the article:</strong></p><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/lesswrong-2-0/image/upload/v1791144576/lexical_client_uploads/cwsh4a2ozoa9dufvhzke.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/lesswrong-2-0/image/upload/v1791144576/lexical_client_uploads/cwsh4a2ozoa9dufvhzke.jpg" alt="Annie Jacobsen tweets: "🚨☣️More details on the Oct 1st pneumonic plague outbreak in Siberia, after a lab accident at a BSL-3 lab. "FSB units accompanying ambulances transporting people who had been in contact with [lab tech] Shipilova for medical examination," as per local news. This is significant. FSB is Russia's domestic security / counterintelligence service, tasked w/implementing the national security of Russia." (Its predecessor was the KGB). This suggests quarantine was not voluntary. It also means Russian authorities are treating the lab accident and plague outbreak as a national security issue, involving a lot more than routine public health."" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/lesswrong-2-0/image/upload/v1791144684/lexical_client_uploads/o