'Concerning' death of Russian 'plague' laboratory employee being monitored

The US says it is closely monitoring the death of an employee at a Siberian "anti-plague" laboratory from what Russian officials are calling pneumonia of an unknown origin.

The fatality in the eastern city of Irkutsk last week has sparked conflicting statements from regional politicians and federal authorities in Russia.

Local media outlets say the victim was in her 20s and speculated her death may be linked to the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute where she worked.

This included the unverified claim she had contracted the pneumonic plague — a lung infection caused by same bacteria behind the Black Death — after breaking a test tube.

Alexey Tsydenov, a governor in Siberia, announced on social media last week a woman had died "from the plague" but later edited his post to say "possibly".

According to the state media outlet TASS, Russia's consumer protection and public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed the woman was "diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown etiology".

The agency said tests found no pathogens linked to her work and denied any laboratory accident.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday urged people not to listen to "rumours or speculation", amid local media reports around 200 potential contacts had been identified.

Part of the Shelekhov District Hospital, where the woman died, and departments in several other hospitals in and around Irkutsk have been closed for quarantine, according to Euronews, although reports in some Russian state media outlets claim this is not the case.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that US officials were "watching and monitoring" the situation "closely".

"I don't think it's cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause to just keep an eye on it,"

Mr Rubio said.

The pneumonic plague can spread between people through coughing, but it is treatable with antibiotics if caught early.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed it is in contact with Russian authorities to gather more information about the death.

"Based on unofficial information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low," it told Newsweek in a statement. "The risk assessment will be updated once more information is available."

A European Commission spokesperson said Europe was monitoring the case "very closely".

Despite authorities downplaying the situation, in a post on social media, Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev confirmed Rospotrebnadzor boss Anna Popova had travelled to the city — which is 4,200 kilometres from Moscow — for a meeting on Friday.

Professor Jennifer Nuzzo, the director of the pandemic centre at Brown University's school of public health, said the situation in Siberia was "concerning".

"It's true we don't know a lot of what's going on," she told the ABC. "But I think the facts of the case that are known, including how authorities are responding to it, increases our worries, that this isn't just a run-of-the-mill laboratory accident.

"Something else seems to be going on."

Professor Nuzzo said if the reports around 200 people were in isolation and that hospitals in Irkutsk had been ordered to close were true, it "could be an overreaction".

"But when you see that sort of response that is a rare set of circumstances, and it should prompt hard questions about what is actually going on,"

she said.

The US has accused Russia of developing biological weapons in laboratories in violation of international law, albeit not at this specific Irkutsk facility. The Kremlin denies the accusations.

"Given the historical concerns [about biological weapons] and given the sheer number of questions, I think there are reasons to be worried about this situation," Professor Nuzzo said.

"Not because we have evidence that it's going to come here [overseas], it's not that.

"Countries around the world owe each other complete and total transparency when events like this happen, not only to prevent us jumping to the wrong conclusions but also if the conclusions are right, to snap into action."