Is Russia Facing a Possible Plague Outbreak?
The US is monitoring travellers arriving from Siberia after Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old technician at a Russian anti-plague research institute, died of severe pneumonia of unknown cause. The death has raised fears of a possible pneumonic plague case, while residents report briefly stocking up on medical supplies amid distrust of official statements. Russia says no recent plague cases have been registered in the region, but the US and WHO are pressing Moscow for more information.
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In a Nutshell
- The US CDC is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security, State Department, Department of Defence, and other agencies to monitor travellers arriving from Siberia. A health station has been set up at New York’s JFK Airport, which receives most flights from the region.
- CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the threat to the US was “extremely low.”
- President Donald Trump said Russian officials claimed the situation was “very much under control,” but were “not saying much.”
- The US has formally requested more information from Moscow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that details remained limited, while the administration warned that Russia’s lack of disclosure could violate its international health obligations.
- Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, died on October 2 after being hospitalised with severe pneumonia of unknown cause. Russian authorities placed around 200 people who had been in contact with her under medical observation or isolation as a precaution against possible infection.
- They later said all identified contacts had completed observation, and tests had found no high-threat pathogens among them.
- The WHO has requested the Kremlin to share details about her death and is trying to verify the reports of a second employee who may have been infected.
Context
Early media reports suggested Shipilova might have contracted pneumonic plague through accidental laboratory exposure, but Russia has not confirmed this. Rospotrebnadzor -Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing - dismissed these connections and said Shipilova died of pneumonia of unknown origin.
It reported no new infectious disease cases among the institute’s employees in the preceding 10 days. Tests on Shipilova’s contacts found two COVID-19 cases and two rhinovirus infections, though neither has been linked to her death.
While authorities maintain that all is well and there is no reason for worry, many residents do not trust the official narrative. Used to a lack of answers from a tight-lipped government, residents of Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk, rushed to stock up on masks, antiseptics and antibiotics, among rumours of plague. As one citizen said to a CNN reporter investigating the incident, “There is no official information, and we don’t trust it anyway.” CNN also attempted to verify an account of personnel disinfecting Shipilova’s apartment building, but was unable to find any independent verification.
Meanwhile, the US continues to monitor flights from Siberia as a precaution. President Trump, who usually blasts Russia for any issue, has not shared much except that the White House has sought more information from the Kremlin and that he expects to speak with President Vladimir Putin “very soon”.
Why It Matters
Russia is facing requests for answers from both the WHO and the United States, but has yet to provide enough information to settle the conflicting accounts of Shipilova’s death. In a post on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation was seeking further information to determine what caused her severe pneumonia, which pathogen prompted the public health measures, and whether a second employee had also developed pneumonia of unknown cause.
The US State Department has separately requested information from Moscow, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the details provided so far remained limited.
What We Think
With both the WHO and the US asking Russia for more information and little clarification forthcoming, it remains up for debate whether there is something larger at play, such as the Kremlin covering up a plague outbreak at an anti-plague research lab, or whether the authorities are right in saying there is no cause for concern.