Second plague case in Siberia? Russia responds after WHO presses Moscow for answers over 28-year-old researcher’s death

Russia has rejected reports of a second suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia, after the World Health Organization (WHO) sought clarification following the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in the region.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday, October 8, that the organization had requested more information from Moscow on the death of Darya Shipilova and media reports of a second employee falling ill.

“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,” Tedros wrote on X.



The news of the second employee falling ill with pneumonic plague was popularized after the British tabloid Daily Mail, citing Russian media, reported that “a second victim has died from 'plague outbreak' at infection zone hospital”.

However, Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, rejected reports of a second infection. Russian news agencies termed that as “fake information circulating on social media regarding a second case of illness,” Reuters quoted.

It reportedly said that they have completed checks on Shipilova's contacts and found nothing: “No health issues related to an infectious disease were detected, and the results of nearly 5,000 laboratory tests showed no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “the vast majority of what the media is reporting regarding this situation is false information,” when asked about reports of a second case as quoted by AFP.

Shipilova, 28, worked at a Siberian anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk and died early on October 2. Russian media and local authorities reportedly attributed her death to plague in posts that were later deleted, according to The Telegraph.

Reports suggested she had broken a test tube containing the pathogen responsible for pneumonic plague. However, her mother, Svetlana Shipilova, dismissed that account in an interview with Russian outlet Glubina.

“I know the truth,” she said. “I’m having to fend off stupid acquaintances who believed all this - the clever ones didn’t believe it, of course.”

“Even if you fling it at the wall. Only an amateur could say something like that. … Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube; they’re that well protected.”

She also accused medical staff of failing her daughter, saying: “They simply let my daughter die.”

Also Read: ‘They simply let my daughter die’: Mother of Russian scientist Daria Shipilova rejects broken test tube theory behind plague death

The Associated Press reported that Rospotrebnadzor had not linked Shipilova's death to pneumonic plague, saying she had developed pneumonia of “unknown” origin. The agency said tests found no evidence that pathogens handled at the institute had caused her illness.

Meanwhile, residents of Shipilova's apartment building reported seeing a scary situation, like COVID, where workers in gas masks and white protective suits were disinfecting the area.

As per The Telegraph’s reporting, Russian Telegram channel Nezygar compared the situation in Shelekhov, in the Irkutsk region, to the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, writing: “The situation in Shelekhov, Irkutsk region, where a plague quarantine has been declared, resembles the Wuhan case.”