Russian authorities have removed public statements referencing a potential plague case following the death of 27-year-old scientific employee Darya Shepilova in Irkutsk Oblast, according to a report by Newsweek.
Shepilova, a worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died on October 2, one week after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen for pneumonic plague on September 25.
On October 3, officials in the Siberian town of Baikalsk warned residents to avoid traveling to neighboring Shelekhov due to reported plague cases, but the post was subsequently removed. Russian television network REN TV also deleted five separate online articles that had mentioned the plague.
Alexey Tsydenov, the head of the neighboring Republic of Buryatia, initially posted that the scientist had died from plague. He later edited his statement to state that she might have died from the disease.
Russian federal authorities later provided a different explanation for the death, attributing it to pneumonia of unknown etiology, an inflammation of the lungs with no established cause. Newsweek reported that the swift transition from confirmed plague to possible plague, and ultimately to unknown pneumonia, raised questions regarding what actually happened.
Siberian facility and local alerts
The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute is a specialized scientific facility located in Irkutsk Oblast in southeastern Siberia. The region borders the Republic of Buryatia near Lake Baikal, where the industrial towns of Baikalsk and Shelekhov are situated.
Pneumonic plague is a severe, highly contagious lung infection caused by bacteria. It is considered the most dangerous form of plague, capable of spreading between human beings through airborne droplets when infected individuals cough or sneeze.
US offer of aid and Kremlin response
Following reports of the potential plague death in Irkutsk Oblast, US President Donald Trump offered American assistance to Russia. Trump stated that the United States always provides help to those facing similar problems.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring the situation in Russia but did not view it as a cause for concern.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia received the American offer of assistance positively, noting that Moscow saw nothing wrong with the proposal.
Peskov disputed statements attributing remarks to Trump that described the situation as a big problem for Russia, saying he believed Trump had not made those comments.
Peskov urged the public to rely strictly on official updates from Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's federal public health watchdog agency. He added that additional information would be made public once all expert examinations had been concluded.
