Russia clarifies no plague outbreak after Siberian lab worker death

Russian health officials confirmed on Tuesday that a laboratory technician who died in Siberia did not have plague and that people who came into contact with her tested negative for the disease. The country's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, stated that no infectious illnesses have appeared among employees at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute over the past 10 days. Extensive medical testing found no microorganisms linked to her work in the body of the deceased woman.

Darya Shipilova worked at the institute in the Shelekhov district near Irkutsk. Reports indicated she was exposed to bacteria after accidentally breaking a test tube containing the pathogen while collecting samples. She was hospitalized on 29 September with severe pneumonia and placed on a ventilator before she died on Friday.

Elena Sofina, deputy head of the Shelekhov district, stated that a hazardous diagnosis was not confirmed. She added that approximately 60 per cent of those under quarantine have now been released. Earlier reports noted that several hospitals in Irkutsk closed for a three-week quarantine, with at least 197 people placed under medical isolation. More than 100 of those individuals were monitored in hospital wards.

Russian authorities formally notified the World Health Organization on Tuesday that there are no plague cases in the city. "No case of this dangerous disease has been recorded in the city of Irkutsk, Russian Federation," the official response stated, according to WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier at a Geneva press briefing. The UN agency has previously noted that the risk of plague to the general population appears low.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the international response to the incident. "It's always good when mutual assistance is offered," Peskov told reporters, noting that the public health watchdog is handling the situation. The remark came after US President Donald Trump described the event on Monday as a major issue for the country.