Health & Public Health
Russia plague case: Kremlin says no US request details
The Kremlin said Wednesday it had no information about a US request for transparency on a suspected plague case linked to the death of a laboratory technician in Siberia's Irkutsk region.
The statement followed a US demand that Russia share information after reports about the possible plague case. Russian authorities have denied imposing anti-plague measures in the region and have said the health situation there is stable.
The Russian news outlet People of Baikal reported Friday that 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, an employee at an anti-plague institute in the Irkutsk region, may have contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube. Other media reported a possible link between her death and a laboratory accident. People of Baikal also said up to 200 people with whom she may have had contact were under quarantine.
Russian officials said postmortem tests had not detected plague. Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said Monday that an inspection found the woman died of pneumonia and that the cause was undetermined. He said no microorganisms linked to her professional work were found in her biological samples, and that no new cases of staff from the anti-plague institute seeking medical attention had been recorded since her death.
World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO's initial assessment from available information estimated the risk as moderate to low for Irkutsk, low for Russia as a whole and very low for the rest of Europe.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that his government was looking at the situation “very strongly” and would help Russia as much as possible. Russia's consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Tuesday that Russia was prepared to provide the United States with specialists, laboratory equipment and diagnostic and preventive tools.
Plague is a bacterial disease that can occur in several forms. Pneumonic plague can be transmitted by respiratory means and can be fatal if not treated early, according to the WHO.
Update
The Kremlin said it had no information about a US request for transparency on the suspected plague case.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 October 2026 at 10:23:18 UTC.
Update
Rubio demanded that Russia share information after plague reports.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 October 2026 at 10:58:43 UTC.
Update
Rospotrebnadzor said Russia was prepared to assist the United States with specialists, laboratory equipment and diagnostic and preventive tools for infectious diseases.
Rospotrebnadzor cited measles concerns in three US states and a fatal plague case in New Mexico in June.
An international conference on plague and other infectious diseases is scheduled in Irkutsk for October 21-22, and organisers said it was arranged in June and was unrelated to the worker's death.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 October 2026 at 10:55:10 UTC.
Update
The World Health Organization deemed the public health risk in Russia low after the plague case reports.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 October 2026 at 09:06:57 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The suspected plague infection has not been confirmed in the supplied information.
The cause of Shipilova's death was described by Igor Kobzev as undetermined.
The reports of a broken test tube, a laboratory accident and quarantine were not confirmed by Russian officials in the supplied information.
The Kremlin said it had no information about the US request for transparency.
Source
AFP news report published on .