Canada

Russia tells WHO it wasn't plague; WHO says lab exposure can't be fully excluded

By ·

Updated Saturday, 10 October 2026, 9:42 p.m. MT

Russia has formally told the World Health Organization (WHO) that the death of a laboratory worker at a Siberian anti-plague institute "was not due to plague infection." The statement appears in a Disease Outbreak News notice the WHO published on Saturday, which AP called the agency's first full notice since the case emerged.

The same notice says the WHO still does not know what killed 28-year-old Darya Shipilova. "WHO has not received information identifying the causative agent responsible for the fatal illness," it says.

What Russia told the WHO

According to the notice, Russia's national focal point for the International Health Regulations (IHR) told the WHO that:

  • Shipilova and all identified contacts were tested for "a broad range of pathogens," including influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infections "including plague and streptococcus." All results were reportedly negative for high-threat pathogens.
  • "More than 5500 laboratory tests" were carried out using bacteriological, biological, mass spectrometric and molecular genetic methods.
  • Among contacts, only "two cases of COVID-19, three cases of rhinovirus, one case of Haemophilus spp., and other opportunistic infections" were found.
  • She "had not travelled outside of Irkutsk Oblast during the two weeks prior to symptom onset" and had been vaccinated against the high-threat pathogens she worked with.
  • Contacts were observed, with daily lab tests, "for seven days," and observation has ended for all of them. All stayed asymptomatic.
  • Two independent investigations found no laboratory biosafety or biosecurity incidents.
  • "Apart from the hospital where the case was admitted, no other healthcare facility was placed under quarantine," contrary to media reports.

The notice says the WHO first learned of the death "through media reports" on 2 October. It contacted Russian authorities on 3, 5, 6 and 7 October, and Russia sent further information after requests on 7 and 8 October.

The WHO's caution

The WHO says it has found no evidence of ongoing transmission. "However, confidence in the assessment remains limited by the absence of a confirmed etiological diagnosis," it adds.

"Given the absence of a confirmed diagnosis, WHO is not in a position to independently assess whether the duration of the reported monitoring period for contacts was sufficient to exclude all plausible causes of the fatal illness," the notice says.

It also points to where she worked: "The deceased individual worked at an institution that handles high-consequence pathogens… the source of the fatal illness remains undetermined. A laboratory-associated exposure therefore cannot be fully excluded at this stage." Its biosafety advice is "precautionary in nature and does not imply that a laboratory-associated infection or incident has been confirmed," the WHO adds.

The agency says "confirmatory testing by reference laboratories where needed, may assist in establishing the causative agent." It has offered Russia support on high-threat pathogens and laboratory biosafety.

"Based on the information currently available, WHO does not advise any restrictions on travel or trade related to this event," the notice says.

The governor's 'all-clear'

On Thursday, Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev declared: "It was a test. But we came through it with dignity. The quarantine has been lifted. We are working as usual" (IrCity). He also said the WHO had "publicly confirmed the absence of risks to public health" (URA.ru).

The WHO notice does not say that. It finds no evidence of ongoing transmission and advises no travel or trade restrictions, but it also says the cause is unknown and a lab exposure cannot be excluded.

The call that didn't mention the case

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin on Friday. AP reported that Trump announced a Russian diesel deal from a call "in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia." The Kremlin's readouts of the 90-minute call covered Ukraine, Iran, energy and bilateral ties. They did not mention the Irkutsk case.

Did Russia follow the rules?

NPR reported that Russia did not notify the WHO of the death; the WHO learned of it from the media. That matches the WHO's own account. The IHR require countries to notify the WHO within 24 hours of detecting certain serious events, and pneumonic plague is explicitly listed.

"Russia's response, firstly, was delayed," Alexandra Phelan of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told NPR. "But also it wasn't comprehensive." Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University said the IHR is "the only thing that's holding Russia to account," adding: "you have countries that are hiding the ball." He said the risk to the public is likely very low.

An expert's view (opinion)

A Russian microbiologist at the University of Innsbruck, interviewed by Novaya Gazeta Europe and identified only by his first name, Alexey, for his safety, said he believes it was "probably a case of plague in an institution that studies plague." He argued that the speed of the illness is "characteristic of a pure laboratory culture," and that infection despite vaccination also points to a lab strain.

He called the response "completely correct," despite the official line that "everything is fine, there is no plague," and said that if no new cases appear within two weeks, the danger has probably passed. These are his views; Russia says plague was ruled out, and the WHO has not identified a cause. The interview appears to predate the latest official updates.

Ripples in China

China National Radio reported that shares in North China Pharmaceutical, which makes streptomycin, hit their daily limit on 8 and 9 October. That was a gain of about 21 per cent over two trading days. The company said its streptomycin sales are small and would not materially affect its results. Some pharmacies reported more questions about doxycycline, but CNR found no evidence of widespread price rises or shortages. A Shenzhen health hotline told the broadcaster the import risk is "extremely low."

Rumours, labelled

  • A second case: Russia denies it. The WHO notice still mentions "a purported second case" among the reports it asked Russia to verify. According to AP, the WHO had earlier traced those reports to tabloid outlets in Britain and Serbia.
  • Other quarantined hospitals: Russia told the WHO that only her own hospital was quarantined, "contrary to media reports."
  • A broken test tube: Russia says two independent investigations found no laboratory incident. No evidence has been published either way.
  • Travel abroad: Russia told the WHO she did not leave Irkutsk Oblast in the two weeks before her symptoms began.

What is still unknown

  • What caused Shipilova's pneumonia
  • Whether her samples have been or will be sent to an independent reference laboratory
  • Whether seven days of monitoring was enough, which the WHO says it cannot judge without a diagnosis
  • How she was exposed, given that the WHO says a lab exposure cannot be excluded

The institute's conference information letter still lists its international plague conference for 21–22 October in Irkutsk.

Sources