Russian health authorities said on Wednesday there is no threat of an epidemic in Siberia after the death of a laboratory worker at a plague research institute, even as the World Health Organization sought more details on the case.
The 28-year-old worker, identified as Darya Shipilova, died on Friday of pneumonia whose cause has not yet been established. Her death drew international concern, including from US President Donald Trump, and around 200 people were initially placed in quarantine.
Russia's consumer health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said it was scaling back precautionary measures after finding no risk of an epidemic. It said investigations had found no emergencies at the lab, that staff had followed proper controls when handling pathogens, and that updated information had been shared with the WHO.
Some Western media reports have claimed that a second person in Siberia died of plague, but no evidence of such a death has emerged and no matching reports have appeared in Russian media.
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