WHO Seeks More Information After Darya Shipilova Death In Russia’s Irkutsk Region

Death sparks competing accounts

Russian authorities said the death of Darya Shipilova, 28, in the Irkutsk region was pneumonia of “undetermined origin,” while local media attributed it to a broken test tube containing Yersinia pestis that ruptured accidentally. People of Baikal reported that an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, identified as Darya Shipilova, 28, died the previous night from a presumed case of pneumonic plague.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had requested additional information to “clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia, determine which pathogen prompted the adoption of public health measures.” Russia’s consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor stated on Wednesday that the situation in Irkutsk Oblast remained “stable” and that about 5,000 tests had been conducted, none revealing dangerous pathogens.

Reporting for this sectionABC

U.S. presses for transparency

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday, “Russia has an obligation to share more information with the world. It may be bigger than we thought.”

President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday that a “call” to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the matter is “coming very soon,” and he added that U.S. agencies would have more information to report on it “perhaps tomorrow.”

The World Health Organization said in a statement on Tuesday that it had requested information to “clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia and the pathogen that prompted the adoption of public health measures.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia accused the media of reporting “false information,” and he said he was not aware of a formal request for additional information.

Reporting for this sectionAkhir khabarEl Mundo

Quarantine, risk levels, next steps

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it was closely monitoring developments and said there is currently no indication of a broader threat to the United States.

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said in a Geneva briefing, “The initial risk assessment by the World Health Organization, based on the information available, estimates the risk as moderate to low for the city of Irkutsk.”

Russian authorities told the WHO that they had placed 200 contacts in quarantine, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency requested more information on lab tests and the health status of the contacts.

The WHO said it still does not have a full view of what happened and, for now, cannot make a thorough assessment of the risk, while it also sought clarification about a possible second employee with pneumonia of unknown origin.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Jazira NetEl Correo