Russia denies plague in death of researcher at Siberian institute

Russian health authorities say a researcher who died at an Irkutsk plague institute succumbed to pneumonia of unknown origin, with no confirmed plague cases.

• Darya Shipilova, 28, died at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia; authorities ruled the cause pneumonia of unknown origin, not plague.
• About 200 of her contacts were placed under medical observation, and several regional hospitals and institute workers were quarantined as precautions.
• Trump said the United States will help Russia with the potential plague case, noting he had not spoken with President Vladimir Putin.
• The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it is monitoring the situation and reported no secondary cases or sustained person-to-person transmission.
• Russia formally told the World Health Organization that no plague infections exist in Irkutsk, with tests for dangerous pathogens returning negative.
• The WHO said the plague epidemic risk in Russia is low, with Irkutsk moderate-to-low, Russia low and Europe very low.
• The WHO said Shipilova, the 28-year-old lab technician, died two days after falling ill.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public not to listen to rumours and to rely on information from Russia's health watchdog.
• The World Health Organization requested more information from Russia about the death of researcher Darya Shipilova.
• Russian officials said Shipilova's contacts tested negative for plague, and the cause of death remains under investigation.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to share more information about the researcher's death.
• Local hospitals introduced new disease-control measures, including checks for plague symptoms among arriving patients.