Russia denies second suspected plague case: “Fake news,” WHO seeks clarification

Russian authorities have rejected reports of a second suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that most of the claims published in the media about the situation were false information.

According to him, information about suspected cases should be based solely on official announcements from Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s public health authority.

Earlier, Russia confirmed the death of a 28-year-old woman who worked at a plague research institute in Irkutsk. Authorities said she had been diagnosed with pneumonia, while emphasizing that the cause of the illness remained unknown.

Moscow’s lack of transparency in handling the issue has increased international concerns about a possible spread of the plague. For this reason, the WHO has asked Russia to provide more information.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization had received information from two media outlets, including a Russian source, and had asked Moscow for an official response.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, assess the risk to the United States as low and stress that there is currently no reason for panic.