Russia says WHO was informed promptly
Moscow rejects reports of poor communication as the cause of death of the laboratory worker remains unknown.
Follow-up to: WHO asks Russia for answers after fatal laboratory case Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 08:42
_-_0_1.jpg){kind=link}
Russia says it informed the World Health Organisation under the applicable procedures about the death of an employee of a plague research institute. The WHO says it is in contact with Russian health authorities; a plague infection has not been confirmed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia had informed the WHO of the death of the laboratory worker in the Irkutsk region. He accused the media of spreading incorrect information about the case.
The worker fell ill and died after working at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Russian authorities have not disclosed exactly what she died of. They refer to pneumonia of unknown cause.
The WHO earlier reported that it was aware of reports about the death and was in contact with the Russian health authorities. Among other things, the organisation wanted to verify the circumstances, laboratory tests, contact tracing and possible international consequences.
Russian health authorities say no cases of plague have been identified among the people who had contact with the worker. According to earlier reports, viruses that can cause a cold or COVID-19 were found in some contacts. That does not automatically explain the worker’s death.
The new Russian statement is mainly about communication with the WHO and not about the medical cause of death. The claim that Moscow informed the organisation promptly and fully has not been independently confirmed in public sources.
For people outside Russia, the risk remains very low according to the WHO, based on the available information. That is not a definitive explanation of the case. As long as the cause of death and the test results are not made public, it remains unclear whether the worker was infected with plague and how she became ill.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The text clearly attributes Russian claims to Peskov and does not present a plague diagnosis as fact. The WHO’s position and the uncertainty surrounding the cause of death are supported by international and UN sources.
- uncertain Russia says it informed the WHO according to procedures. — This is the statement of Kremlin spokesman Peskov; independent confirmation of the timing and completeness is lacking. source
- confirmed The WHO was in contact with Russian health authorities. — This is stated in the report of the UN press briefing. source
- confirmed The cause of death has not been publicly established. — Reuters and AP describe the cause as unknown or not made public. source
- confirmed Outside Russia, the risk is very low according to the WHO. — AP quotes the WHO’s risk assessment. source
Editor's note
It is certain that Russia and the WHO have been in contact and that no cases of plague have been reported among contacts. The cause of death and the precise timing of Russia’s notification to the WHO have not been independently established.Sources
- Russia says it properly informed WHO of plague institute worker’s death — Reuters via Internazionale
- UN Geneva press briefing, 6 October 2026 — United Nations Geneva
- How Russia and the world are responding to a possible case of pneumonic plague — AP News
The story so far
- Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 08:42 WHO asks Russia for answers after fatal laboratory case
- Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 14:42 Russia says WHO was informed promptly (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „rusland who”
- de Volkskrant — „rusland who”
- RTL Nieuws — „rusland who”