Posted by Chinenye on Wed 07th Oct, 2026 - tori.ng
A young researcher has died after suffering severe pneumonia, triggering fresh questions over what happened inside a Russian anti-plague facility.
(Researcher. Photo Credit: The Guardian)
The World Health Organization, WHO, is looking into the death of a 28-year-old worker at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute, who died at a hospital in the city of Shelekhov.
The researcher died of severe pneumonia.
Earlier media reports suggested she may have caught pneumonic plague after an incident at a laboratory, according to a message from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on social media.
Tedros said Russian health officials told the WHO that no plague cases have been officially recorded in the Irkutsk region.
Russian authorities also said their investigation into the outbreak is complete.
People who had contact with the researcher were placed under medical watch and tested, and no dangerous germs were found among them.
Still, the WHO has sent a fresh request asking Russia to explain what caused the severe pneumonia, name the germ that triggered the response from health authorities, and share details about a second worker who reportedly fell ill.
Tedros stressed the need for quick and open sharing of information and said the WHO has offered expert help to Russian authorities.