The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that Russia should provide more transparency regarding the plague situation, following reports of a second case of the disease. The WHO indicated it could not fully assess the situation surrounding the suspected plague death of a laboratory employee in Russia. "We don't yet have the full picture of this event and we're not able to conduct a full risk assessment," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports as "false information," asserting that only official statements from Russian authorities should be trusted. Peskov also mentioned he had no information about a planned call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the situation, despite Trump announcing such a call was scheduled. Trump stated that the death of the technician did not appear to be linked to a biological weapon, saying, "We're going to find out soon, but we don't think so," and added that Russia claimed the incident was under control.
The United States has formally requested more information from Russia, according to the AFP news agency. This follows the death of a 28-year-old female technician at a plague research institute in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, who possibly contracted the disease from a broken test tube. The WHO chief noted that Russia should clarify reports of a "second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause" at the institute.
While the United States, the European Union, and the WHO have urged Moscow to be transparent about the case, Russian authorities maintain that the population in the region is safe. The country's health agency stated, "There are no epidemic risks for the population," and emphasized that investigations had resulted in "no emergencies," highlighting the compliance of the plague research institute.
The agency reported that "more than 90% of contacts have completed medical observation," and that results from nearly 5,000 laboratory tests did not reveal any dangerous pathogenic microorganisms. In response to the reports, Mongolia announced it has implemented "health surveillance and monitoring measures" at the border with Russia. Pneumonic plague is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs that can be transmitted from person to person through the air, such as via coughing.