WHO seeks answers after Russian plague lab worker dies

The World Health Organization is pressing Russia for more information about the unexplained death of a worker at a Siberian plague research institute, including reports of a possible second illness. Russian authorities say they have found no evidence of plague or a wider outbreak.

Darya Shipilova, 28, died on Oct. 2 after developing what Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, called “pneumonia of unknown origin.” She worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, more than 2,500 miles east of Moscow. Her death prompted concern after initial Russian media reports, some later removed, suggested she might have contracted pneumonic plague following a laboratory accident, CBS News reported. That account has not been confirmed.

“We don’t yet have the full picture of this event. And we’re not able to conduct a full risk assessment,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. He called for timely, complete and transparent information from Russia to clarify conflicting reports.

Tedros said the WHO had also asked Russia to address media reports of a second institute employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. No second infection has been confirmed. WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said the agency did not know what caused Shipilova’s illness or how she became infected.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected reports of a second suspected case, saying “the vast majority of what the media is reporting regarding this situation is false information.” He urged reporters to rely on statements from Rospotrebnadzor.

The agency said an investigation found no dangerous pathogens linked to Shipilova’s research and no evidence of a plague outbreak in the Irkutsk region. It said nearly 5,000 laboratory tests had detected no dangerous pathogens among people screened after contact with her. None of the 200 people screened had plague, it said, and 90% of those placed under quarantine conditions for monitoring had been released. Rospotrebnadzor also said Shipilova had been vaccinated against the infections she worked with and that it was easing precautionary measures.

The U.S. State Department has asked Russian authorities for more information and urged them to share it quickly and transparently. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow advised Americans in Russia to seek immediate medical attention if they develop respiratory problems. The European Union has also called for transparency, Al Jazeera reported.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described the risk to the United States as “extremely low” and said there was no indication of a broader threat. It said plague can be treated with antibiotics. CDC Director Erica Schwartz said U.S. agencies were monitoring travel from the area and that a health station at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport could screen arriving travelers.

President Donald Trump said he expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon” about the death. The Kremlin said Wednesday it was open to scheduling a call promptly, but none had been set. Asked whether the incident could have involved a bioweapon mishap, Trump said, “We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough.”

According to CBS News, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan had introduced additional border precautions as of Wednesday against the possible spread of infectious disease.