WHO Seeks Clarification from Russia on Pneumonia Cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns with Russian health officials following reports of a second case involving an employee suffering from “pneumonia of undetermined cause.” This comes after a lab worker, who was involved with anti-plague research, died just last week.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Russian authorities have stated that there are no confirmed cases of plague. This declaration was part of a statement made on Tuesday.

Last Friday, a worker from the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute in southeastern Siberia passed away after experiencing severe pneumonia, as noted by Ghebreyesus. The deceased has been identified as Daria Shipilova, age 28. Russia’s national health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, indicated that her death was due to “pneumonia of unknown etiology” and was not linked to plague, a clarification that contradicted earlier media speculation.

“Initial media reports suggested pneumonic plague following an alleged accidental laboratory exposure,” Ghebreyesus said.

“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,” he continued.

Russian officials also communicated to WHO that “identified contacts” had been “placed under medical observation and tested,” finding no high-threat pathogens among them.

“They reported that no high-threat pathogens had been detected among the contacts and that medical observation of all identified contacts had been completed,” Ghebreyesus remarked.

Ghebreyesus mentioned that WHO is maintaining communication with Russia’s health authorities and has offered assistance. He also requested additional details about the pneumonia case as well as the associated public health measures and reports regarding a second potentially related case.

“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 noted.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to be more “transparent” about the incident, indicating that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation. Although he acknowledged the seriousness of the case, he suggested it shouldn’t cause widespread panic.

President Donald Trump also addressed the matter, stating he plans to discuss it with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon,” adding that extensive discussions about this issue are ongoing, with updates expected potentially as early as Wednesday.

President Trump says he is set to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon” over a possible plague case at a Siberian research institute.

Contrarily, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that such a call had been arranged, claiming that much of the media coverage surrounding the incident is inaccurate and directed attention towards information from Rospotrebnadzor.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also acknowledged the situation in a recent update.

“CDC is aware of and closely monitoring reports of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region of Russia that resulted in a death,” the agency posted.

However, the CDC noted that the situation remains unverified, clarifying that while the plague is a serious disease, it can be treated effectively with antibiotics.

“While the circumstances of this reported case remain unconfirmed, plague is a serious bacterial disease that is treatable with antibiotics, particularly when recognized and treated early,” the agency explained.

Furthermore, the CDC confirmed that there is currently “no indication of a broader threat to the United States,” though ongoing monitoring will continue.

The plague can manifest in three main forms, all caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. The pneumonic variant is particularly dangerous as it affects the lungs and can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets.