Russia denies plague outbreak after lab worker's death in Siberia

Russian officials on Monday moved quickly to reject media reports of a possible plague case in Siberia after a young laboratory employee died there last week.

Reports emerged on Friday that a 28-year-old woman who worked at a plague research institute in the Irkutsk region had died of the disease. The news outlet Lyudi Baikala, citing sources close to regional security services, suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague — the most dangerous and contagious form of the disease — after a test tube broke in the laboratory. Several other outlets linked her death to the lab incident.

Officials reject infection claim

Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev said Monday that an expert commission reviewing the case concluded the woman died of pneumonia of undetermined origin rather than plague. Writing on Telegram, he said Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, tested her biological samples and found no microorganisms linked to her professional work. Kobzev added that no other institute employees have sought medical help since her death, and he described the sanitary-epidemiological situation in the region as stable and under control.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged journalists to rely on official Rospotrebnadzor statements rather than rumors and speculation.

International response

Plague is a bacterial disease that can take several forms, with the pneumonic variant being the most dangerous and potentially fatal if not treated promptly. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters ahead of a trip to Iceland, said Washington is monitoring the situation closely but currently sees no cause for alarm — while noting that travel between the US and Russia is limited, an outbreak of this kind could spread quickly if it took hold.