Oct 7 (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it had requested more information from Russia about what killed a plague institute worker in Siberia, saying transparency was vital to get a clear picture of potential health risks.
Russian authorities say the 28-year-old laboratory worker died on Friday from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin, in a case that prompted international concern, including from US President Donald Trump, and which saw around 200 people initially placed in quarantine.
Russia’s health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with the deceased worker, Darya Shipilova, and a local official said that 60% of those placed in quarantine had been released.
But Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO in Geneva, said in a statement on X that his organisation needed more information from Russia to fully understand what had happened.
“WHO has requested further information to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures, and media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause,” he said.
“Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.”
Some Western media outlets have reported – citing unnamed “Russian media” – that a second person in Siberia had died, saying they had died of plague. Reuters was unable to find any such stories in Russian media or any evidence that a second person in Siberia had died.
Nonetheless, Tedros’ call for more information echoed that of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who has said Moscow needs to share more information about the incident.
While Russia’s health watchdog has said that Shipilova died after contracting pneumonia, it has not publicly explained what caused it or how she fell ill. Pneumonia can have a variety of causes, including plague.
(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru and Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Editing by Toby Chopra and Alison Williams)
