NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Russian health authorities have reported no case of plague after the sudden death of a lab technician, who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia.
The world health body has also sought details about media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. However, Russia, has rejected reports of a second suspected plague case in Siberia, stating that most media reporting on the situation was "false."
The response from WHO has come even as US President Donald Trump has said that he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible case of plague at a Siberian research institute.
Top sources at the Union Health Ministry said they are waiting for the Russian statement about the situation. Officials said it is not clear at the moment whether it is plague or pneumonia-like illness.
Darya Shipilova, a laboratory worker in Siberia, fell ill and died on October 2, leading Russian authorities to quarantine about 200 people, including those who came in direct contact with her. This sparked widespread panic and speculation about a public health scare on social media.
In a lengthy post on X, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, “Since the first media reports, @WHO has been actively following up on the reported death of a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute in Irkutsk oblast, Russian Federation.”
“The individual died on 2 October 2026 after being hospitalised with severe pneumonia. Initial media reports suggested pneumonic plague following an alleged accidental laboratory exposure.”
He said that “in response to WHO’s verification request under the International Health Regulations, the Russian health authorities reported that no case of plague had recently been registered in Irkutsk oblast.”
“They informed WHO that an epidemiological investigation had been conducted, preventive and control measures implemented, and identified contacts placed under medical observation and tested. They reported that no high-threat pathogens had been detected among the contacts and that medical observation of all identified contacts had been completed.”
He added that WHO has remained in contact with Russian health authorities and has offered technical support.
“WHO has requested further information to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures, and media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause,” he said.
The WHO DG stressed that "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."
According to Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association (IMA) COVID Task Force, although there is speculation that this might be pneumonic plague because the lab worked on dangerous pathogens, including plague, Russian authorities have not yet confirmed it.
“It is said that about 200 people are being quarantined, and multiple agencies are involved, which means this is being taken very seriously by the local authorities to limit any spread,” he added.
The former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Cochin, said that from India’s standpoint there is no need for any public concern.
“Even if this were a case of pneumonic plague, the theoretical possibility of the disease reaching India from Siberia is abysmally low, especially because people who are ill from it tend to deteriorate quickly and will not be fit enough to travel,” he told this paper.
Different versions of the situation have circulated on social media.
Russian media have suggested that Shipilova, 28, may have died of an “unknown type of pneumonia” and authorities quarantined everyone who came in contact with her as a precautionary measure. Another said she fell ill after travelling to Thailand, while yet another said she got sick after she travelled to an area near Mongolia.
Another version - which triggered panic - has said that she may have dropped a test tube, which contained a live bacterium, ultimately leading to her death. However, Russia has rejected this.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has urged people not to listen to rumours and to rely on statements from Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor. Russia has said that the situation in Irkutsk was stable, with no new infectious disease cases reported among institute employees.
A Siberian question
The scare: Darya Shipilova, technician at a Siberia plague institute, dies of ‘pneumonia of unknown aetiology’ on Oct 2
Cause 1: A media report says Shipilova came down with the disease from Thailand
Cause 2: Another report says she became infected after breaking a test tube in the lab
Plague similarity: Shipilova’s disease caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is found in small mammals and the fleas. The same bacterium caused bubonic plague in the 14th century
Antidote 1: Antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides, can treat Yersinia pestis infection if given in early stages of exposure
Antidote 2: There are multi-antibiotic-resistant strains. If Shipilova was exposed to that strain, treatment options may not be commonplace
Global panic: Donald Trump schedules a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Indian response: Union Health Ministry officials say not clear whether it is plague or pneumonia-like illness
