Russia faces pressure over reported second plague case in Siberia
The World Health Organization and Western governments are pressing Russia for clearer information after reports emerged of a second suspected plague case linked to a research institute in Siberia. The case centres on the death of a laboratory technician in the Irkutsk region last week, which has raised questions about possible exposure at the facility. Russian officials have rejected much of the reporting as false and say the cause of death has not been confirmed.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that Moscow should clarify media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. The United States... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 07 Oct 2026 15:32 LONDON
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US presses Russia for transparency as Siberia plague lab death is investigated
US President Donald Trump said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon about the death of a laboratory worker at a plague research centre in Siberia. The case centres on the anti-plague institute in the city of Irkutsk, where Russian officials say they are still investigating the cause of death. They have not confirmed that the illness was pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection and the most virulent form of the disease.Russian authorities said the 28-year-old worker had died of pneumonia of an undetermined cause, and that people who came into contact with her tested negative. Reports first... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 07 Oct 2026 11:35 LONDON
Russia responds as questions continue over Siberian plague lab death
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has again urged people not to "listen to various rumours" after the death of a laboratory technician at a plague research centre in Siberia. He said the public should rely only on information from Russia's public health watchdog, which has given the official cause of death as pneumonia of unknown origin. The comments came as Russian officials continued to face questions over the case and its handling.The latest remarks follow renewed attention on the death at the anti-plague institute in Siberia, which has prompted concern because of the sensitive nature of the work carried out there.... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 06 Oct 2026 15:04 LONDON
US monitoring suspected plague case in Siberia as Russian officials report no wider spread
US officials said they were continuing to watch the death of a Russian laboratory technician at a plague research centre in Siberia, after new details emerged from Russian authorities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring the case closely, while President Donald Trump said the US had not discussed it with the Kremlin but would help if needed. The comments came as Russian officials repeated that they had found no sign of an emergency at the institute.Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said the woman's cause of death had been listed as pneumonia of undetermined etiology and that no micro-organisms... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 05 Oct 2026 23:59 LONDON
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Dozens quarantined in Siberia after plague-related death at research institute
Authorities in Russia's Irkutsk region have quarantined dozens of people after the death of a laboratory worker at an anti-plague research institute in Siberia. The case has prompted an official inspection and renewed public concern about a disease that remains present in parts of the region. Officials said the situation was under control, while local media identified the woman as Darya Shipilova, an employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.Regional governor Igor Kobzev said a special expert commission had found that the cause of death was pneumonia of undetermined origin. He added that the... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 05 Oct 2026 17:03 LONDON
Russia keeps quarantine in place after plague scare in Irkutsk region
Russian authorities have kept quarantine restrictions in place across parts of the Irkutsk region after saying a laboratory assistant who died last week did not have plague. The case is centred on the anti-plague institute in Irkutsk and on nearby hospitals, where containment measures remain in force while testing continues. Officials say the public health situation is stable, but the investigation has not yet fully ended.Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's national health watchdog, said tests of biological material from Daria Shipilova found no microorganisms linked to her professional activity and no accidents involving pathogenic micro-organisms had been detected at the institute. Irkutsk governor... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 05 Oct 2026 16:40 LONDON
