Russia says plague death poses no epidemic risk

Russia's health agency Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday there are "no epidemic risks" to the population following the reported plague death of a laboratory technician in Siberia last week, as international pressure for transparency grows. The 28-year-old woman, who worked at a plague research institute in the Irkutsk region, died after possibly contracting the disease from a broken test tube, according to Russian outlet People of Baikal. Authorities have said she died of pneumonia with an "undetermined" cause, adding that over 90 percent of contacts have completed medical observation and nearly 5,000 lab tests found no dangerous pathogens. Rospotrebnadzor stated the woman was vaccinated and had immunity, while implementing "anti-epidemic measures" as a precaution. The World Health Organization, the United States, and the European Union have called for more transparency, and the agency said it has informed the WHO per international health regulations.