Russia Denies Report of Second Case of Illness in Siberia

Russia’s consumer health watchdog denied reports that a second person had fallen ill after they had been in contact with an employee of an anti-plague laboratory whose death has sparked international scrutiny.

Rospotrebnadzor, as the watchdog is known, said no illness had been detected among people who were in contact with the laboratory worker, who died from what the agency described as community-acquired pneumonia, according to a statement to the Interfax news service. The comments came in response to speculation on social media that another case had occurred.

Russia has drawn international attention this week after the death of the 28-year-old laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East has prompted speculation that the cause may have been pneumonic plague.

Russia said no traces of plague were detected in samples from the deceased worker. The investigation is ongoing.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said Russia had confirmed that about 200 contacts were initially quarantined and tested. Most have since been released from quarantine, Russian authorities have said.

Read More: What to Know About Suspected Plague Case in Siberia: Explainer

“We don’t understand how she was infected,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said during a press conference Wednesday, adding that many types of pathogens can cause pneumonia. While the pneumonic plague pathogen and its treatment is well known, a laboratory worker would have been wearing protective gear and would have taken steps immediately to prevent infection had there been an accident, as some media reports suggested, Van Kerkhove said.

Still, the WHO is pressing Russia for more information.

The initial source of media reports about the alleged second case remains unclear, while limited communication from Russian authorities on the matter has fueled speculation and rumors.

The original case has sparked worldwide concern, drawing comments from US President Donald Trump and other global leaders. That’s due in part to its echoes of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, with uncertainty and a lack of information around the emergence of a deadly respiratory disease.