Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejects reports of inadequate notification as Russia says no plague cases have been detected among the deceased worker’s contacts.
WEB DESK: Russia said Wednesday that it had informed the World Health Organization about the death of a laboratory worker at a Siberian plague research institute in accordance with established procedures, rejecting reports that Moscow had failed to properly notify international health authorities.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused parts of the media coverage of being inaccurate while responding to reports about the handling of the case and international concerns over transparency.
The worker became ill and later died under circumstances that Russian authorities have not fully disclosed. The case has attracted international attention because she worked at a research facility dedicated to plague and other infectious diseases in the Irkutsk region.
Russia rejects reports of inadequate notification
Peskov said Russia had informed the WHO about the death last week and followed established procedures.
His comments came after an ABC News report said the United States had lodged a formal diplomatic complaint over Russia’s handling of the case and had sought greater transparency.
Peskov disputed what he described as false or inaccurate reporting and urged people to rely on information released by Russia’s state health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor.
The issue has become particularly sensitive because the death occurred at a facility specializing in plague research, prompting speculation about whether the worker could have been infected with plague.
No confirmed plague cases among contacts
Russian authorities have repeatedly said that plague has not been confirmed in the case.
Rospotrebnadzor said extensive testing had found no plague cases among people who had been in contact with the deceased worker. It also said tests did not identify microorganisms linked to her work and that no infectious disease had been reported among staff at the institute during the preceding 10 days.
Authorities placed people who had contact with the woman under medical observation and carried out daily laboratory testing as part of precautionary public-health measures.
Rospotrebnadzor said testing identified two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection among those tested, but no pathogens causing other infectious diseases were detected.
Local officials also said a significant proportion of those placed under precautionary quarantine had already been released.
WHO and international concerns
The WHO has been monitoring the situation amid questions surrounding the worker’s illness and death.
Reuters reported that the WHO said Russia had informed it that there were no plague cases in Irkutsk, although it was not immediately clear whether that statement ruled out plague as a possible cause of the laboratory worker’s illness.
AP reported that international health authorities had sought additional information while Russian officials continued to maintain that no plague case had been confirmed.
The WHO’s broader guidance states that plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Pneumonic plague is a severe form that can spread through respiratory particles, but early antibiotic treatment can be effective.
US officials also monitoring the case
The case has also drawn attention from Washington.
US President Donald Trump said he intended to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Russia to provide more information. Peskov said Wednesday that no phone call between Putin and Trump had been scheduled at that point.
Trump had previously described the situation as a serious problem for Russia and offered assistance, according to Reuters.
What is known about the death
Russian authorities have described the woman’s illness as pneumonia of unknown or undetermined origin rather than confirmed plague.
International media reports have identified the deceased as a 28-year-old laboratory worker, but speculation about the precise source of her illness, including possible exposure at the research facility, remains unconfirmed. Russian authorities have denied evidence of a laboratory accident involving dangerous pathogens.
The case therefore remains under scrutiny, but there is currently no confirmed evidence of a plague outbreak in Irkutsk based on the information released by Russian health authorities.
The WHO continues to emphasize surveillance and rapid response as important measures for detecting and containing plague.
