US President Donald Trump said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very soon” over the reported death of a laboratory technician in Siberia, as Washington pressed Moscow for greater transparency over the incident.
The reported death at an anti-plague institute in Russia’s Irkutsk region has prompted concern in Washington and the World Health Organisation (WHO), although Russian authorities have denied that plague has been detected and said the cause of death remains undetermined.
“I have a call scheduled, yes,” AFP cited Trump telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday when asked whether he had spoken to Putin about the issue, adding that the call would take place “very soon”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Russia to provide more information about the incident.
“We encourage Russia to be transparent and share more information with the world so that all of us could react accordingly and appropriately,” Rubio said during a visit to Iceland.
“Depending on what we learn about it, we would learn how to respond.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also urged Moscow to provide timely and transparent information.
“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,” he said in a post on X.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the US State Department had sent Moscow a confidential diplomatic communication, known as a demarche, warning that failing to disclose information would run counter to its international health obligations.
Russian authorities, however, have rejected reports that special anti-plague measures were imposed following the death.
Russian news outlet People of Baikal reported on Oct 2 that the technician, identified as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke.
Other reports suggested a possible connection between her death and an accident at the laboratory, while People of Baikal reported that up to 200 people who may have come into contact with her were placed under quarantine.
Russia’s consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said the reports were false.
“We wish to clarify that the document and information in question do not originate from official sources and are untrue,” it said on Telegram.
Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said on Oct 5 that an inspection by Rospotrebnadzor found the woman had died from pneumonia, while the cause of death remained “undetermined”.
He said no microorganisms linked to her professional work were detected in biological samples and no other employees at the institute had sought medical attention since her death.
The WHO said Russia had reported that no case of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk.
According to the WHO, Russia had instead launched an epidemiological investigation into a case of community-acquired pneumonia involving an employee of the Irkutsk institute, while identifying contacts and arranging medical monitoring and laboratory testing.
“Test results showed no presence of dangerous infectious disease pathogens in any of the contacts,” the WHO said, citing the Russian update.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the available information indicated a “moderate to low” risk for Irkutsk, while the agency continued to monitor the situation.
Plague is a bacterial disease that can occur in several forms. Pneumonic plague, the most contagious form, can spread through respiratory transmission, while bubonic plague is generally transmitted through infected fleas.
Pneumonic plague can cause severe lung disease and may be fatal if not treated promptly, according to the WHO.
Trump had said on Oct 5 that the United States was prepared to assist Russia if necessary.
Rospotrebnadzor subsequently said Moscow was also prepared to help the United States tackle infectious disease outbreaks, pointing to a worsening measles situation in three US states and a fatal plague case reported in New Mexico in June.
An international conference on plague and other infectious diseases is scheduled to take place in Irkutsk on Oct 21 and 22. Organisers said the event was unrelated to the recent death of an employee at the anti-plague institute. - October 7, 2026
