WHO and Western Powers Press Russia for Answers as Second Plague Case Reported in Siberia

The World Health Organization has joined the United States and the European Union in calling on Moscow to provide greater transparency regarding the death of a laboratory technician at a plague research facility in Siberia, as unconfirmed reports surfaced of a second suspected infection among staff.

The growing pressure campaign intensified on Wednesday when WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus publicly urged Russian authorities to clarify what he described as media reports of a second employee suffering from pneumonia of an undetermined cause at the Irkutsk-based institute.

The facility at the center of the controversy is the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East, a specialized laboratory that has operated for decades as part of Russia's network of scientific centers dedicated to studying dangerous pathogens. According to media accounts, the institute houses collections of plague strains and conducts research on the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which causes the disease.

The initial case came to public attention last week when reports emerged that a 28-year-old laboratory technician named Darya Shipilova had died under circumstances suggesting she may have been exposed to a dangerous pathogen while working at the facility. The death was not immediately confirmed by Russian health authorities as being caused by plague.

Russian news outlet People of Baikal reported on Friday that Shipilova may have contracted pneumonic plague, the most severe form of the disease, after a test tube broke in the laboratory. Other media organizations covering the story similarly suggested a link between her death and an accident at the research facility. The outlet further claimed that as many as 200 individuals who may have had contact with the deceased woman were placed under quarantine.

Pneumonic plague is particularly concerning to public health experts because, unlike the bubonic form typically spread through flea bites, it can be transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets. Without prompt antibiotic treatment, pneumonic plague is almost always fatal. The incubation period is generally short, ranging from one to three days, which makes rapid identification and isolation of contacts critical to containing any potential outbreak.

However, Russian officials have disputed the characterization of Shipilova's death and rejected claims that extraordinary measures have been implemented at the facility. The country's consumer health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has denied assertions circulating in a document online that special protocols had been activated in response to the situation. The agency maintains that the cause of death has not been confirmed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the mounting international scrutiny during a briefing with reporters on Wednesday, appearing to dismiss the flurry of media reports about a second suspected case. Peskov stated that news organizations were reporting extensively on the matter but insisted that the overwhelming majority of information being published about the situation was inaccurate.

Peskov called on the public to rely exclusively on official statements issued by Rospotrebnadzor rather than media accounts, and he indicated that the Kremlin had already shared whatever information it possessed. When questioned specifically about reports that Washington had formally requested clarification through diplomatic channels, Peskov said he had no information about such a request.

A source familiar with the situation had disclosed on Tuesday that the United States had indeed submitted a formal diplomatic inquiry, known as a demarche, through confidential channels. The request reflected American concerns about the potential public health implications of an unidentified pathogen incident within a Russian research facility. President Donald Trump had earlier indicated he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the reported plague death.

The EU and WHO have echoed Washington's calls for Russia to be forthcoming about the details surrounding the case. International health regulations, which bind WHO member states, require countries to notify the organization of events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern. This framework is designed to ensure that information about potential disease threats is shared quickly and transparently across borders.

Public health specialists note that transparency is especially vital when dealing with pathogens that have pandemic potential or could be used as biological weapons. Russia's network of anti-plague institutes traces its origins to the Soviet era, when the government maintained an extensive system of facilities dedicated to monitoring and researching dangerous infectious diseases across the country's vast territory.

The Irkutsk institute, situated in eastern Siberia near Lake Baikal, is one of several such facilities that continue to operate in the post-Soviet era. These centers conduct surveillance on natural plague foci that exist in various regions of Russia and neighboring countries, as well as research on other particularly dangerous infections.

The incident has drawn attention to the safety practices at such facilities and raised questions about what information Russian authorities possess but have not disclosed. International health officials have stressed that without clear and verifiable data from Russian sources, it is impossible for the global health community to assess the actual risk posed by the reported events.

No independent confirmation of a second case has been obtained, and Russian authorities continue to characterize the media reporting as unreliable. The WHO has not issued any formal assessment of the situation beyond its call for Russian officials to provide clarity. The organization has not declared any public health emergency related to the reports.

The coming days are likely to see continued diplomatic pressure on Moscow to share additional details about the death, the alleged laboratory accident, and the health status of other workers at the facility. How Russia responds to these requests may shape international confidence in its willingness to cooperate on global health security matters.

*(FRANCE 24 with AFP)*