Russia Secrecy Over Siberian Lab Worker's Plague Death Raises Global Concern

Russian authorities are tightly controlling information about the Oct. 2 death of a Siberian lab worker, with state media avoiding the subject amid unconfirmed reports of pneumonic plague, while global concern grows and President Trump says he may discuss it with Vladimir Putin. Russia's health watchdog says the worker died of "pneumonia of unknown etiology" and denies plague, though a hospital is quarantined and contacts are monitored. The WHO has requested more details, and Moscow reports no plague cases in the region. The deceased, 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, which studies plague endemic to southeastern Siberia. Officials describe her as diligent, and her apartment was disinfected, while pneumonic plague can be fatal if untreated.