Health
Russian plague scare deepens as officials face questions over lab technician's death
October 8, 2026 at 02:02 PM · Updated 8d ago
4 reports · 3 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 9 hours
يواليوم السابع
روسيا تعلن انتهاء الفحوصات الصحية لمخالطى عاملة مختبر الطاعون المتوفاة فى سيبيريا
(opens the publisher’s site)
CNCNN
At the center of Russia’s plague scare, residents ‘don’t trust’ officials – but have little other choice
(opens the publisher’s site)
يواليوم السابع
وفاة عاملة في مختبر روسي تثير مخاوف من الطاعون.. ماذا تعرف عن المرض؟
(opens the publisher’s site)
يواليوم السابع
هل كانت سلاحا بيولوجيا؟..ترامب يعلق على وفاة عاملة بمختبر الطاعون بروسيا
(opens the publisher’s site)The unexplained death of a Siberian lab technician from pneumonia of unknown origin has prompted WHO and US calls for more information from Russia.
- Shipilova, 28, a technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died Friday in Shelekhov of pneumonia of unknown origin, with roughly 200 contacts under observation.
- Rospotrebnadzor said the pneumonia was of "unknown" origin and downplayed ties to her work as it isolated her contacts.
- WHO said Russian authorities described her illness as community-acquired pneumonia and that it is seeking information on reports of a second infected worker.
- Trump said US officials do not believe the death involved a biological weapon and that Russian counterparts assured them the situation is under control.
- Russian authorities said Thursday they completed screening of all contacts, finding no dangerous pathogens in nearly 5,000 samples.
- Regional governor Igor Kobzev said the episode was a test that had been passed successfully.
- WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said the organization wants more information on the lab tests and how the woman died if not from plague.