Russia Denies Reports of Second Plague Case
Russia has rejected reports of a second suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia as “false information”, while the World Health Organization continues to seek additional details from Moscow about the death of a worker at an anti-plague research institute.
Russia Rejects Reports of Second Plague Case
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said reports suggesting a second employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute had developed unexplained pneumonia were inaccurate.
Russian authorities have urged media organisations to rely on official information from the country’s health regulator, which says no plague infections have been detected among staff or contacts linked to the deceased researcher.
The original case involved 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who died after developing pneumonia of unknown origin.
WHO Seeks More Information From Moscow
The World Health Organization has asked Russia to clarify reports suggesting that another institute employee may have developed pneumonia of undetermined cause.
WHO officials said they still do not know what pathogen caused Shipilova’s illness and have requested timely laboratory information and follow-up data from Russian authorities.
Russia maintains that it has complied with international reporting obligations and says nearly 5,000 tests conducted on around 200 monitored contacts found no dangerous infectious diseases.
Public Health Risk Remains Assessed as Low
Russian officials say there is no evidence of an epidemic risk and have begun easing precautionary measures after most monitored contacts tested negative.
The United States has also assessed the risk to its population as extremely low while continuing to monitor developments.
The precise cause of Shipilova’s pneumonia remains under investigation, and no confirmed plague outbreak has been identified.
