Russia Plague 'Second Death' Claim Grows as Reports Disappear and Official Accounts Change

A claim that a second person has died amid Russia's unexplained plague-institute scare is spreading online as deleted reports and changing official statements fuel questions over what happened in Siberia.

According to reports, only one death, laboratory technician Darya Shipilova, has been confirmed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has instead asked Moscow about reports of a second employee with unexplained pneumonia, while Russian authorities maintain no plague cases have been recorded in Irkutsk.

Russia's 'Second Death' Claim Remains Unconfirmed

Shipilova, 28, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East and died on 2 October after developing severe pneumonia.

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's public health watchdog, has described her illness as 'pneumonia of unknown aetiology'. It said testing found no microorganisms associated with her professional work and denied that any emergency involving pathogenic microorganisms occurred at the institute.

Nearly 200 contacts were nevertheless placed under medical observation as authorities introduced anti-epidemic measures.

Reports have since circulated claiming another death connected to the incident. However, no Russian authority or the WHO has confirmed a second fatality.

The WHO has, however, acknowledged media reports concerning a second institute employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation had requested further information from Russia about that reported illness, alongside the cause of Shipilova's pneumonia and the pathogen that prompted the public-health response.

Deleted Russia Plague Reports Add to Questions

Uncertainty has been heightened by early statements that were subsequently changed or removed.

Alexei Tsydenov, head of neighbouring Buryatia, initially wrote that Shipilova had 'died of plague'. His post was later edited to say she had 'possibly' died of plague.

On 3 October, authorities in Baikalsk also published a Telegram warning citing unofficial information about a plague case in Shelekhov and advised residents to avoid travelling there. The warning disappeared roughly two hours later.

An independent outlet People of Baikal reported that REN TV also removed several posts concerning the suspected infection.

Those deletions do not establish that plague caused Shipilova's death or that information is being concealed. They have, however, left competing versions of events circulating while authorities have yet to publicly identify what caused her fatal pneumonia.

WHO Presses Russia for Transparent Information

According to reports, Russian officials have repeatedly sought to calm fears. Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev said the sanitary and epidemiological situation remained stable, while Rospotrebnadzor reported no plague among Shipilova's contacts.

The WHO says Russia has informed it that no recent plague cases have been registered in Irkutsk and no high-threat pathogens were detected among identified contacts. It currently assesses the wider public-health risk as low.

Dr Tedros nevertheless stressed that 'timely, complete and transparent information sharing' under the International Health Regulations was essential to resolve conflicting accounts and assess any risk.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly said information from Russia remains limited, while President Donald Trump said he expects to speak with Vladimir Putin 'very soon'.

Furthermore, the confirmed picture remains narrower than the rumours of a second death caused by suspected plague. What caused Shipilova's illness, and why the earliest accounts changed so quickly, remains unanswered.