Thursday, October 8, 2026 - The World Health Organization says no case of plague has been confirmed following the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Irkutsk, Siberia.
The woman, Darya Shipilova, died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia of unknown origin. Russian health authorities say extensive testing has found no evidence that she was infected with plague or another dangerous pathogen linked to her work.
The case has nevertheless triggered international attention because Shipilova worked at an institute that studies dangerous pathogens, including plague.
Russian authorities monitored and quarantined people who had contact with her, while thousands of tests reportedly found no dangerous infection among those contacts. The WHO says it has been told that no plague cases have been detected among them.
For now, the immediate public-health risk appears limited, but the WHO is pressing Russia for more information about the exact cause of death and reports of another employee with unexplained pneumonia.
The agency says it needs complete and transparent data before it can make a fuller assessment, making continued testing and timely disclosure critical as authorities work to rule out any wider threat.
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