Russia Plague Mystery: WHO Probes Reports of Second Person With Unexplained Pneumonia
The World Health Organization wants Russia to explain reports that a second employee of a Siberian anti-plague research institute has come down with pneumonia and nobody knows why. A lab worker at the same institute died days ago. Her death led to quarantines in Russia and put other countries on alert.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that the agency has asked Russian authorities for more details. He’s after two things in particular: what caused the severe pneumonia that killed 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, and whether a second employee is actually ill in the same way. So far, there is no confirmed second plague case.
WHO Seeks Clarity Over Second Employee
Details on the second person are scarce. WHO hasn’t said the employee has plague, and it hasn’t confirmed reports that someone else died. Reuters said Wednesday it couldn’t find any evidence of a second death in Siberia, even though posts on social media and reports attributed to Russian media have claimed one. In WHO’s own words, there are reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. That’s all it has said.
It’s a narrow claim. Pneumonia has plenty of causes, from viruses to bacteria, and having it doesn’t mean someone is infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacterium behind plague.
What Happened To Darya Shipilova?
Shipilova was 28 and worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, in southeastern Russia. She developed severe pneumonia and died on Oct. 2.
Around 200 people were first put in quarantine or under medical observation. Russian authorities now say none of her contacts have tested positive for plague, and about 60% of those quarantined have reportedly been released.
What made her sick hasn’t been made public. Russian officials call it pneumonia of unknown origin. Some early reports suggested pneumonic plague after an accident in the lab. Officials deny that any accident happened and say they found no link between her illness and the pathogens the institute handles.
Russia Pushes Back Against Plague Reports
The Kremlin says much of the coverage is false and wants people to be careful. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had informed WHO properly and told the public to rely on Rospotrebnadzor, the country’s health regulator.
Rospotrebnadzor says it found no plague among Shipilova’s contacts. It hasn’t said, at least publicly, what caused the pneumonia that killed her. That gap is a big reason WHO keeps asking.
Why Is WHO Asking Questions?
The agency has put three questions to Russia. What caused Shipilova’s severe pneumonia? What pathogen led to the public-health measures taken afterward? And are the reports about a second employee with unexplained pneumonia accurate?
Tedros said that under international health regulations, countries are expected to share information quickly and openly. Doing so, he said, is how conflicting reports get resolved and any risk to public health gets judged accurately.
A request for information isn’t proof of an outbreak. WHO and other health experts are still weighing the risk with what’s available, and earlier reporting said the agency hadn’t identified a confirmed plague outbreak in the region.
U.S. Also Seeks More Information From Russia
Washington is paying attention too. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said what Russia has shared is limited, and the U.S. government has formally asked for more on the incident. President Donald Trump said he plans to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about it.
Meanwhile, the U.S. also urged its citizens to leave Russia and reconsider their travel plans to Russia.
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