Russia Denies Siberian Plague Outbreak as Foreign Agencies Seek Details

Russian authorities said no plague cases had been detected in Siberia as international health agencies monitored reports surrounding the death of a laboratory worker in the Irkutsk region.

Darya Shipilova, 28, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died on October 2. Russian officials attributed her death to pneumonia of unknown cause and later said testing of people under observation had detected no pathogens beyond COVID-19 and a virus associated with the common cold. Local reports said nearly 200 people were placed under medical observation and that a hospital was quarantined while contacts were traced.

Unconfirmed Russian media reports subsequently alleged that a second person had died after contracting plague. Authorities have not acknowledged a second death, and Russia’s consumer health regulator, Rospotrebnadzor, has denied that an outbreak is occurring. The Kremlin said Moscow had shared what it knew, urged the public to rely on official statements and warned against spreading false information.

The World Health Organization and US officials called for Russia to provide more information. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was closely monitoring the incident but assessed the risk to the United States as low. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was watching developments and could offer assistance if the situation proved more serious.

Pneumonic plague is caused by *Yersinia pestis* and can spread through respiratory droplets. It can be rapidly fatal without prompt treatment but is treatable with antibiotics when detected early.