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All Russian government agencies are making relentless efforts to safeguard public health and safety and urging the public not to worry, the Russian Embassy in China said on Thursday, as concerns over a possible pathogen exposure at a Russian plague research institute have emerged after a researcher died of pneumonia of unknown etiology. 

Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), the country’s health watchdog, said on Wednesday that it was completing comprehensive disease prevention measures in Irkutsk, adding that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk Oblast, including the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, remained stable. 

Meanwhile, controversy has erupted over a possible pathogen exposure at a Russian research institute studying plague (Black Death) after a researcher in her 20s died following severe pneumonia symptoms. Russian health authorities clarified that expanded testing of samples from the patient found no microorganisms associated with her professional activities, while the WHO has been closely following up on the case and has urged full transparency from Russia to assess the public health risk. 

According to multiple media reports, Daria Shupilova, a 28-year-old researcher working at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Irkutsk, Siberia, accidentally broke a test tube containing Yersinia pestis, the bacterium causing pneumonic plague, at the institute on September 25. Her health subsequently deteriorated, and she was hospitalized in the Shelekhov district hospital on September 29 and passed away in the early morning hours of October 2.

Reports also indicated that roughly 200 people who had contact with the deceased researcher have been placed under medical observation or quarantine. Irkutsk regional authorities stated that, so far, none of the contacts have shown any particular symptoms, and initial tests have not confirmed plague infections, The Asia Business Daily reported. 

Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday that no epidemic risks have been identified in Irkutsk following a case of pneumonia, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. 

The sanitary and epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and the nearby city of Shelekhov remains stable, the agency announced in a statement published on its website, adding that comprehensive preventive and anti-epidemic measures had been carried out, Xinhua reported. 

As of Wednesday, medical observation has been completed for more than 90 percent of people who had been in contact with the patient. No health abnormalities associated with infectious diseases were detected, while nearly 5,000 laboratory tests found no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms, Xinhua reported, citing Rospotrebnadzor. 

Rospotrebnadzor has also provided the WHO with information about the situation. The WHO, in turn, published an assessment indicating no risk associated with the case of community-acquired pneumonia in Irkutsk, according to Rospotrebnadzor, TASS reported. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that “the vast majority of what the media is reporting regarding this situation is false information,” in response to a question about reports of a second case, Al Jazeera reported. 

WHO’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization has been following up on the reported death of the laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. 

“The individual died on 2 October 2026 after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Initial media reports suggested pneumonic plague following an alleged accidental laboratory exposure,” Tedros said on X. 

Tedros said full transparency was needed in order to make a proper assessment of the public health risk. 

Regarding whether a plague could pose a threat to China, Li Tongzeng, a respiratory disease medic from Beijing You An Hospital to the Capital Medical University, said the disease is not highly contagious and generally causes relatively severe symptoms, making it easier to detect at customs and border checkpoints. Therefore, the likelihood of it spreading to China is very low. 

Compared with highly contagious diseases such as Ebola, which can also be transmitted by asymptomatic individuals, a plague is easier to identify, diagnose and control, Li told the Global Times on Thursday.