Darya Shipilova, 28, died Oct. 2 after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Russian authorities identified her illness as pneumonia of unknown origin and rejected reports of a laboratory accident. Neither pneumonic plague nor the alleged laboratory exposure has been confirmed.
The World Health Organization has requested details about what caused the pneumonia, which pathogen prompted preventive measures and reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.”