The World Health Organisation has urged Russia to provide complete transparency following the death of a laboratory technician at an anti-plague research facility in Siberia, as Washington intensifies diplomatic pressure on Moscow.
"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," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
US President Donald Trump also confirmed at the White House that he will address the incident directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I have a call scheduled, yes," Trump told reporters, adding that the discussion will happen "very soon".
The diplomatic friction escalated after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Moscow to share verified data during a visit to Iceland, whilst the US State Department issued a formal diplomatic demarche warning Russia against breaching global health disclosure rules.
Conflicting accounts
Russian independent outlet People of Baikal reported that technician Darya Shipilova, 28, contracted pneumonic plague after dropping a test tube containing pathogens at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, claiming up to 200 contacts entered quarantine.
Russian authorities forcefully rejected the reporting, insisting post-mortem analyses revealed no pathogens linked to Shipilova's employment.
Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous and contagious form of the bacterial infection, causing respiratory failure and death if untreated.
Responding to Trump's offers of assistance, Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s national public health and consumer protection agency, countercharged that Moscow is ready to assist the United States with its own worsening infectious disease crises.
