A reported death linked to an anti-plague laboratory in Siberia has escalated into a diplomatic and public-health flashpoint, with US President Donald Trump saying he plans to speak “very soon” with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington presses Moscow for more information.
Russian officials, however, have rejected claims that anti-plague measures were being introduced and have sought to downplay accounts of an incident last week at an anti-plague institute in the Irkutsk region.
The United States has signaled growing unease, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging Russia to provide clarity.
“We encourage Russia to be transparent and share more information with the world so that all of us could react accordingly and appropriately,” Mr Rubio said during a trip to Iceland.
“Depending on what we learn about it, we would learn how to respond,” he added.
The World Health Organization director also urged Russia to be transparent.
“Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.
Russian authorities played down eports of an incident at an anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region last week
Later, Mr Trump told reporters at the White House that he expects to raise the matter directly with Mr Putin.
“I have a call scheduled, yes,” President Trump said when asked whether he had already spoken to the Russian leader about the reports, adding that it would take place “very soon.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that the US State Department delivered a confidential diplomatic warning — a demarche — telling Russia that withholding details would contradict its international health obligations.
Cause of death ‘undetermined’
Russian outlet People of Baikal reported Friday that the woman who died — identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova — may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke.
Other media outlets have also pointed to a possible connection between her death and a laboratory accident at the facility.
People of Baikal further reported that as many as 200 people who may have been in contact with her were placed under quarantine.
Russian authorities said the cause of death has not been confirmed, and health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor dismissed claims — circulating in an online document — that special anti-plague measures had been introduced.
“We wish to clarify that the document and information in question do not originate from official sources and are untrue,” the agency said on Telegram.
Russian officials said postmortem examinations did not detect the disease.
Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said an inspection by Rospotrebnadzor determined the woman died of pneumonia, while the underlying cause remained “undetermined”.
The World Health Organization said there was a “moderate to low” risk for Irkutsk based on the available information
“No microorganisms linked to the young woman’s professional work were found in her biological samples,” he said, adding that no other employees at the institute had sought medical care since her death.
WHO said information it received yesterday from Russia emphasized that “no case of this dangerous disease has been recorded in the city of Irkutsk.”
According to WHO, Russia said it had opened an epidemiological investigation into a “case of community-acquired pneumonia” involving an institute employee, traced contacts, and arranged medical monitoring and laboratory testing.
“Test results showed no presence of dangerous infectious disease pathogens in any of the contacts,” the update said, according to WHO.
‘Moderate to low’ risk
The UN health agency said it assessed the risk for Irkutsk as “moderate to low” based on what is currently known, spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva, adding that WHO is watching developments closely.
Plague is a bacterial disease that appears in several forms, including pneumonic plague — the most contagious — which can spread through respiratory transmission. Bubonic plague is typically spread by infected fleas.
Pneumonic plague can lead to lung failure and may be fatal if treatment does not begin early, WHO says.
Mr Trump has said the United States stands ready to assist Russia if help is required.
But in what appeared to be a pointed response to that offer, Rospotrebnadzor said Russia was prepared to help the United States address its own infectious-disease outbreaks.
The watchdog cited, among other issues, a “significantly worsened” measles situation in three US states and a “fatal case of plague” recorded in New Mexico in June.
Measles cases have increased under the Trump administration, in which vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr serves as health secretary.
Meanwhile, Irkutsk is still set to host an international conference on plague and other infectious diseases on 21 and 22 October, though organisers said it was “unrelated to the recent death of an employee of the anti-plague institute.”
