A Russian Scientist Reportedly Died After Being Exposed To Plague. Hundreds Are Under Observation.

Hundreds of people have been hospitalized in Russia following reports that a scientist died of exposure to plague, according to a new report.

Local media noted that the people are being monitored following the incident at an anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk, in eastern Siberia.

The country's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, noted that the employee in question was diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown etiology."

Other reports noted that a 28-year-old woman working at the institute fell ill with suspected pneumonic plague after going to a work trip in Buryatia, where an outbreak was reported near the border with Mongolia.

Daria Shipilova apparently broke a test tube with the pathogen, leading to the incident. She was admitted to a hospital in late September with symptoms of severe pneumonia and died just days later.

Authorities then imposed quarantines at medical facilities in the region and placed almost 200 people who came in contact with Shipilova under medical observation. Russian health authorities have not confirmed the reports.

Axios detailed on Sunday that the White House is monitoring the reports, with an official saying that it is "aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options."

The Centers for Disease Control noted that plague is not extremely uncommon, occurring "naturally in parts of the western United States."

"People usually become infected through the bite of an infected rodent flea or by handling an infected animal. Plague can be cured with antibiotics, but these must be given promptly to prevent serious illness or death. Plague is infamous for killing millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages. Nowadays, it is a rare but persistent cause of illness in rural areas in the western United States and certain regions of Africa and Asia," the CDC noted in its overview of the disease.