Russia denies reports of second illness linked to Siberian plague lab death

Russia's health regulator denied Thursday that a second person fell ill after contact with a plague laboratory worker in Siberia who died last week, calling such reports fake information circulating on social media. The regulator said it completed checks on all contacts of the deceased, Darya Shipilova, finding no infectious disease issues and nearly 5,000 lab tests showed no dangerous pathogens. However, it has not definitively stated whether her October 2 death was caused by plague, citing only pneumonia of undetermined origin. The World Health Organization requested Russia verify media reports of a second pneumonia case, based on celebrity news outlet starhit.ru and a Daily Mail story. Russian authorities insist there is no epidemic risk, but international concerns remain unallayed.