Russia denies reports of second plague case after Siberian lab worker's death

Russia's health regulator Rospotrebnadzor denied reports Thursday that a second person fell ill after the death of a lab worker at a Siberian plague research institute, stating all contacts were cleared and no pathogens were detected. The first worker, 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, died last Friday from pneumonia of unknown origin at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov. Authorities said she was vaccinated and immune to infections she worked with, while preventive measures for all contacts have been completed. The World Health Organization estimated public risk as low but requested more information from Russian authorities, citing insufficient data. The U.S. CDC called risk to America extremely low, while Health Canada reported no risk, noting the last Canadian plague case was in 1939.