Russia Moves to Reassure Public After Plague Death Report in Siberia

Russian authorities said Monday the situation is under control after reports that a lab technician died of plague in Siberia, while the US said it is monitoring closely and offered help. The Kremlin urged journalists to rely on official statements rather than rumors. The death of 28-year-old Daria Chipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute, was reported by Russian media Friday, with one outlet suggesting she contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube and that about 200 contacts were quarantined. However, regional governor Igor Kobzev said an expert commission found the cause was pneumonia of undetermined origin, with no work-related microorganisms detected in her biomaterials. The health situation in the region is stable, with no other institute employees seeking medical care, Kobzev added. Pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can be fatal if untreated, though a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine noted its bacterium is less transmissible than Covid-19.