Russia rejects reports of second Siberian plague case as WHO seeks answers

Russia has rejected reports of a second suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, as the World Health Organization presses Moscow for formal information about the death of a worker at an institute studying dangerous pathogens. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that “the vast majority” of media reports about the situation amounted to false information. He directed the public to statements from Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s public health watchdog, rather than reports about a second employee with pneumonia of unclear origin.

The dispute follows the death of a 28-year-old woman employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. Russian authorities have described her illness as pneumonia of unknown or undetermined aetiology. The origin of the illness has not been established, leaving international agencies seeking more information about whether plague was involved.

Rospotrebnadzor said no infections had been detected among institute staff following the woman’s death. Euronews reported that the agency said she had been vaccinated and had immunity to the infections handled at the facility. It also said almost 5,000 laboratory tests had found no dangerous pathogens and that more than 90% of people who had contact with her had completed medical monitoring.

The WHO says it does not yet know the causative agent or how the woman became infected. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency had received reports from two media organisations, including one in Russia, about a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. The WHO had asked Russia to respond to those reports.

Tedros said timely and complete information-sharing under the International Health Regulations was critical. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic management, said the agency needed information “in a timely way” and regular answers to its follow-up questions. The United States, European Union and WHO have all called for greater transparency.

Euronews reported that Washington had formally requested additional information and was communicating with other countries. Peskov said he had no information that the Kremlin had received a US official complaint. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has described the risk to the United States as extremely low.

CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the agency was coordinating with Homeland Security, the State Department and the Defense Department to monitor travellers from the region. About 200 people a year travel from Siberia to the United States, according to a US health department spokesperson. The WHO has previously said the possible case posed a very low risk beyond Russia’s borders.

Plague occurs naturally among wild animals in the Irkutsk region. Pneumonic plague can spread through airborne droplets and may be fatal without prompt treatment, although recovery prospects are high when it is identified and treated quickly. If confirmed, the case would be Russia’s first recorded plague infection since 2016.