United Nations, October 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has assessed the risk of plague spreading beyond the reported area as “very low”, amid international concerns following the death of a technician who worked at a Russian laboratory researching the disease.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said all known contacts of the deceased had reportedly been identified and were being monitored for possible symptoms. So far, none had developed signs of plague, he said.
“According to the test results, no pathogens of dangerous infectious diseases were detected among any of the contacts,” Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.
He said the WHO currently assessed the risk as moderate to low in Irkutsk, low for Russia as a whole and “very low” for the WHO European region.
According to Russian authorities, the woman’s illness initially appeared to be a typical acute respiratory viral infection. The technician later died under circumstances that prompted concerns about a possible plague infection.
The institute where she worked studies dangerous pathogens, including plague, in a region of Siberia where the disease occurs naturally among wild animals.
Lindmeier said the WHO contacted Russian authorities after reports emerged about the technician’s death and was continuing to monitor the situation.
Some media reports claimed that the technician became ill after breaking a test tube last month and subsequently developed pneumonia, which can occur in cases of pneumonic plague. However, the WHO said the risk of wider spread remained very low.
The situation has also drawn attention in the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring developments “very closely, hour by hour”.
Rubio said there might be nothing unusual about the incident but acknowledged that it was not yet clear whether the situation was more serious than initially believed. He also called on Moscow to share further information with the international community.
The heightened concern comes against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and continuing debate over the origins of the virus, including claims that have alleged a laboratory leak.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to downplay the concerns, saying Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, was handling the situation and urging people not to rely on rumours or speculation.
According to the WHO, plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which commonly occurs in small mammals and their fleas and can spread to humans through flea bites.
The infection can also be transmitted through direct contact with infected tissues or by inhaling infected respiratory particles.
Bubonic plague, the most common form, is characterised by painful swollen lymph nodes known as buboes. More severe forms include septicaemic plague, which affects the bloodstream, and pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs.
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