"How much should we worry about the pneumonic plague lableak in Siberia?" by Drew Spartz cover art

"How much should we worry about the pneumonic plague lableak in Siberia?" by Drew Spartz

"How much should we worry about the pneumonic plague lableak in Siberia?" by Drew Spartz

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Epistemic status: I wrote this up hoping people can poke holes in it because I am quite worried.

Here's what we've heard so far:

  • Local media is reporting that an employee of a BSL-3 lab in Irkutsk, Russia, died of pneumonic plague on Oct 1st.
  • The initial quarantine covered 200 people who were in contact with the employee before she died.
  • The FSB (Russian FBI) was seen assisting in the quarantine, which means it was not voluntary.
  • Soviet-era whistleblowers like Ken Alibek claim Irkutsk was a major bioweapon development facility.
As of Oct 4th:

  • The quarantine has expanded to 5 hospitals in the area.
  • The Russian government has switched to denial/coverup. Local news sources have deleted mentions of "pneumonic plague."
  • Local universities and schools have canceled some classes and extended mask mandates.
  • On the lab's website, they mention gain-of-function research for making bacteria more virulent.
  • The White House is monitoring the suspected outbreak.
Why this might be a big deal

  • Regular pneumonic plague is maybe not that hard to deal with (?) but if it is a bioweapon that was leaked, it could be significantly more virulent than, say [...]
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Outline:

(00:18) Here's what we've heard so far:

(00:52) As of Oct 4th:

(02:06) Why this might be a big deal

(03:29) Why this might not be a big deal

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First published:
October 5th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/TYfpTRxGH9frTymwN/how-much-should-we-worry-about-the-pneumonic-plague-lableak

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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