Russia rules out epidemic risk as WHO seeks answers over plague institute worker's death

Russia's health regulator, Rospotrebnadzor, stated on Wednesday that there is no risk of an epidemic breaking out in Siberia following the death of a plague institute worker. The 28-year-old laboratory worker, Darya Shipilova, passed away on Friday from pneumonia of an unknown origin. Around 200 people were initially placed in quarantine, but by Wednesday, 90 percent of them had been released after failing to detect any dangerous pathogens through nearly 5,000 lab tests.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested more information from Russia to understand the cause of Shipilova's severe pneumonia and the pathogen responsible for the public health measures. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has emphasized the importance of timely, complete, and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.

The Kremlin has criticized the false information in the media and urged caution when relying on media reports, stating that Russia had properly informed the WHO in line with established procedures. However, Reuters was unable to find any evidence of a second person in Siberia dying from plague, with the WHO confirming that they had no further details to add beyond what Tedros had already shared on X.