WHO says plague epidemic risk in Russia low after lab technician's death

The World Health Organization has said the risk of a plague epidemic in Russia is low after the death of lab technician Darya Shipilova, 28, who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia and died last week two days after falling ill. Russian authorities have downplayed the incident, attributing her death to pneumonia of unknown cause, while imposing quarantine measures at the institute in Irkutsk and nearby hospitals. WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said no contacts have shown symptoms, and the health risk was assessed as moderate to low for Irkutsk, low for Russia, and very low for Europe. Russian media reported 60 colleagues have been locked in the institute since Friday, with similar measures in five hospitals. The US has urged Russia to share more information, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for transparency, while Russia's Rospotrebnadzor offered assistance to the US citing its own infectious disease outbreaks.