WHO seeks clarification from Russia over suspected plague cases in Siberia

The World Health Organization is calling for transparency from Russian authorities following reports of a second suspected case of pneumonic plague at a research institute in Siberia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and international leaders are urging Russia to provide detailed information after a 28-year-old employee at a plague research institute in Irkutsk died from pneumonia of an unknown cause. According to Al Jazeera, while Russian health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor stated no infections were found among staff, the origin of the fatal illness remains unidentified, sparking global concern that it could be the plague.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has specifically asked Moscow to clarify media reports regarding a second employee suffering from pneumonia at the same facility. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, emphasized that the agency does not yet know the causative agent or how the first victim was infected. CBS News reported that the WHO is demanding to know what the staff member died from if plague has indeed been ruled out.

The Kremlin has dismissed the reports of a second case as "false information." Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the majority of media coverage regarding the situation is inaccurate and insisted that official information should only be sourced from Rospotrebnadzor. Al Jazeera reported that the United States and the European Union have joined the WHO in calling for Russian transparency.

US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he has been in discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation. While Trump noted that Russia has claimed the situation is "under control," he added that the country is "not saying much either." When questioned about the possibility of a bioweapon being involved, Trump told reporters, "We do not think so," and indicated that US intelligence agencies might provide further updates soon.

Background

On Sunday, Russia acknowledged that a woman working at a plague research institute in Siberia died after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown aetiology, which led to the current international inquiry.