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WHO seeks answers over Russia plague lab death

Published Not supplied · Discovered 9 Oct, 10:01 UTC · Original language: en · Version 2

Russia isn't exactly known for its transparency and that's playing into fears about the unexplained death of a worker at a plague research lab in Siberia.

Initial reports suggested the 28-year-old had died of suspected pneumonic plague and authorities placed 200 people under quarantine.

Russia now says it's done extensive testing and no cases of the plague have been reported but the World Health Organisation is calling for more information about the tests conducted and for a response to reports of a second death.

More Information

Featured: Paul Friedrichs, former Director, White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy

Image Details

A satellite image shows the Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, Russia, May 8, 2025. An employee of the institute, Darya Shipilova, 28, was named by Russian media as the laboratory worker who, according to authorities, died from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin on October 2, 2026, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people and causing public health fears on social media. (Supplied: Google/Airbus/Handout via Reuters)

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