A second person has reportedly died in Russia’s Irkutsk region amid growing concern over a possible pneumonic plague incident, Russian media reported, as international health authorities pressed Moscow for more information about the unexplained death of a researcher at a Siberian anti-plague institute.
The reported second death has not been independently confirmed, and Russian authorities have not acknowledged that plague caused either death.
The alarm began after Darya Shipilova, 28, an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, was hospitalized on Sept. 29 with severe pneumonia and died on Oct. 2.
Russian and independent media reported that Shipilova may have been exposed to Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, while working at the institute. Some reports claimed she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria, though Russian authorities have not confirmed that account.
Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said Shipilova died from pneumonia of an unspecified origin and insisted that no plague cases had been detected in the region. Authorities said people who had been in contact with her were placed under medical observation and tested.
Russian media later reported that a second unidentified person had died at a hospital in the Irkutsk region after allegedly contracting plague. No laboratory results or other official evidence have been released linking the reported death to the disease.
The uncertainty has drawn scrutiny from international health authorities. The World Health Organization has sought additional information from Russia about Shipilova’s death, the pathogen suspected by authorities, the public health measures imposed in the region and reports that another employee developed pneumonia of unknown origin.
Darya Shipilova
Nearly 200 people who had contact with Shipilova were reportedly placed under monitoring, while dozens of employees at the institute were isolated. Hospitals in the Irkutsk area also imposed restrictions, and residents reported seeing health workers wearing protective equipment.
Several Russian media reports concerning the suspected outbreak have meanwhile disappeared from news websites. Independent Russian outlets said reports from major broadcasters and newspapers were deleted, while a local government warning urging residents to avoid travel to the Shelekhov area was also removed shortly after publication.
Russian authorities continue to deny that a plague outbreak is underway. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on official information from Rospotrebnadzor rather than “rumors and speculation.”
The United States has also said it is monitoring developments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the situation was not considered a cause for alarm but warranted close attention, while President Donald Trump said Washington was prepared to assist Russia if necessary.
Pneumonic plague is the most severe form of plague and can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact. It can progress rapidly if untreated, but antibiotics are effective when administered early.