Suspected plague case in Siberia draws EU and US scrutiny

The European Commission and the United States are closely monitoring a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia, Russia, with the EU ready to coordinate a response among member states if needed. A Commission spokesperson confirmed awareness of the incident at a Russian laboratory. The suspected case involves Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, who reportedly died after possible exposure from a broken test tube. Russian authorities say the situation is under control, with tests showing no plague bacteria and listing her cause of death as pneumonia of unknown origin. The US State Department has urged Moscow to provide accurate information quickly and transparently. Russian officials, including the regional governor and Kremlin spokesperson, have downplayed the reports, citing official health agency findings and calling for reliance on official announcements rather than rumors.