The U.S. president said he plans to discuss the death of an employee at an Irkutsk anti-plague institute with Vladimir Putin. Russian authorities and the WHO say no plague cases have been recorded; the woman’s cause of death remains undetermined.
Donald Trump said on October 6 that he would speak soon with Vladimir Putin about the death of an employee at an anti-plague institute in Irkutsk. “I have a call scheduled, yes,” the U.S. president told reporters at the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier urged Russia to share available information openly.
The laboratory worker’s death prompted reports that she may have contracted pneumonic plague, but that diagnosis has not been confirmed. The local outlet People of Baikal reported that 28-year-old Darya Shipilova may have been infected after a test tube broke, citing sources it did not identify. Russian officials said the cause of death had not been established, while regional authorities reported pneumonia.
Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev said on October 5 that an inspection by Rospotrebnadzor found pneumonia of undetermined cause. He said no microorganisms linked to the woman’s work were found in her biological samples and that no other institute employees had sought medical care after her death.
In an update sent to the World Health Organization on October 6, Russia said no cases of plague had been recorded in Irkutsk. Authorities had identified contacts and arranged medical monitoring and laboratory tests. The WHO said test results found no dangerous infectious-disease pathogens among the contacts. Its spokesperson described the risk to Irkutsk as “moderate to low” based on the available information.
Reuters also reported that Rospotrebnadzor had found no plague among the contacts and that tests did not identify microorganisms linked to the deceased woman’s professional work. Reports of a possible infection therefore remain unconfirmed, while Russian agencies say they are investigating the cause of the pneumonia.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. State Department sent Moscow a confidential diplomatic communication urging it to provide details. Trump had said earlier that the United States was ready to help Russia if needed.