Russia claims there is no epidemic risk after death of plague institute worker

Russia's health watchdog has claimed there is no risk of an epidemic following the death of a plague institute worker in Siberia - as the Kremlin accuses the media of providing false information about the case.

The female laboratory worker - who worked at the Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk - fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances in the region last week.

Russian authorities are keeping a tight lid on information about last week's incident. Authorities quarantined dozens ​of people and dispatched the head of Russia's ​health watchdog - with media reports suggesting she may have died of pneumonic plague.

Dr Maria van Kerkhove, director of the department of epidemic and pandemic management at the World Health Organization (WHO) said Russia confirmed that no symptoms have been detected in the 200 people that had been in contact with the researcher who are currently under observation.

"[Russia] did tell us that none of the contacts have developed symptoms," she told a news briefing in Geneva, adding that the agency is still trying to gather "more information" about the "causative agent" behind the woman's death.

Rospotrebnadzor, the country's national public health agency, said it has sent information on the case to the World Health ‌Organization, and found no signs of infection or dangerous pathogens after monitoring the worker's contacts and carrying out laboratory tests.

The agency said in a statement: "Preventive and anti-epidemic ​measures have been organised in ​full, and ​there are no epidemic ⁠risks for the population of Irkutsk or ⁠Irkutsk region."

The worker was vaccinated and possessed immunity against the infections she worked with, the agency claimed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that much of the media reporting on the incident was false and suggested that people should instead rely on updates from Rospotrebnadzor.

He dismissed an ABC News report which claimed that the US had issued a formal diplomatic complaint over the Kremlin's handling of the incident - supposedly urging Russia to increase transparency.

A State Department spokesperson told the outlet that they had "requested additional information from the Russian government".

Mr Peskov said no phone call had yet been scheduled between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, who said on Tuesday that he would speak to the Russian president "very soon" about the case.

Sky News has contacted the US State Department for comment.

Natalya, from the town of Shelekhov, told Sky News on Wednesday that the quarantine on its inpatient facility had been extended to 12 October - with people receiving daily tests along with antibiotics.

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Nadezhda, a resident from Irkutsk, earlier lamented the lack of information provided by the authorities.

She told Sky News on Tuesday: "Of course, I would really like to know what it really was and how dangerous it is. But, unfortunately, there is no such information. And therefore, this leads to speculation and rumors, which does not calm the situation down."

"Unfortunately, people have become accustomed to such cataclysms. After Covid, it seems they're no longer so scary."

(c) Sky News 2026: Russia claims there is no epidemic risk after death of plague institute worker