By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-07 14:26:39 | Updated at 2026-10-07 15:07:56
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US health authorities said they are “closely monitoring” the suspected plague outbreak in Russia — as the World Health Organization also sought urgent updates on reports of a second death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday said it’s “aware and closely monitoring” the feared outbreak following Friday’s death of Daria Shipilova, a Russian lab worker believed to have accidentally broken a test tube with a plague sample at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.
The US also issued a démarche — a formal diplomatic notice — pressing Moscow to release more details over fears it has been hiding an outbreak.
US health officials say they are ‘aware’ of the plague outbreak in Russia. Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute/AFP via Getty Images“We are working across the US government to assess developments as additional information becomes available,” the CDC said.
“While the circumstances of this reported case remain unconfirmed, plague is a serious bacterial disease that is treatable with antibiotics, particularly when recognized and treated early.
“Pneumonic plague can spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets during close contact, which is why rapid identification and treatment of infected individuals, and monitoring of potentially exposed individuals, are important public health measures.
“At this time, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States, but CDC and our interagency partners are prepared and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The US government has increased pressure on Moscow, issuing the démarche to obtain extra information out of the shadowy regime, a source told CNN Tuesday.
“We have officially requested additional information from the Russian government,” a State Department spokesperson added.
Daria Shipilova, a lab worker, died after contracting pneumonia. Daria Shipilova/e2w“We are also in official communication with other countries around the world to share information.”
Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, said the US is watching the outbreak “very closely, hour by hour” following Shipilova’s suspected lab accident.
She is believed to have contracted pneumonia after breaking a test tube containing the plague but Moscow says she died of “pneumonia of unknown origin.”
“I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” Rubio said.
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, also demanded transparency from Moscow, citing media reports of a second death.
“WHO has requested further information to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, the pathogen that prompted the public health measures, and media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, said on X.
Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said official information will come from the country’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.
With Post wires
