Listen to this article in summarized format Loading...× Subscribe to Unlock AI Briefing and Premium ContentNew Year Offer 24 Hours LeftSubscribe NowAlready a member? Sign InWhat's IncludedExclusive StoriesDaily ePaper AccessSmart Market ToolsCurated Investment IdeasAd-lite Experience Subscription ReutersA view of the Medical Assistance and Rescue Centre, an infectious diseases hospital, in the town of Shelekhov in the Irkutsk region, Russia, October 5, 2026.

(Reuters photo) Pneumonic plague in Russia and subsequent investigation, led by Russian officials, have revived memories of the COVID-19 pandemic and allegations the coronavirus may have emerged at a Chinese lab.

WHO has not provided a definitive answer to how the Covid pandemic began.

Following unverified reports concerning a suspected fatal case of pneumonic plague originating within Russia, apprehensions are there about whether Russian plague could become another global catastrophic pandemic or not.The U.N.

health agency said on Tuesday that it has been in contact with Russian authorities following reports of the death last week of a woman who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.

The World Health Organization said a possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia presents a “very low” risk outside the country as investigators look into what caused the death of a lab employee there last week."There is currently no indication that we are dealing with anything similar to the pandemic," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told The Associated Press, referring to the woman's illness.Russian Officials on PlagueThrough an international health alert system, Russian health officials on Tuesday said a full range of preventive measures had been carried out — including tracing of the deceased woman's contacts, medical monitoring and lab tests.Live EventsYou Might Also Like:Russia pneumonic plague: New point of conflict emerges between Moscow based Kremlin and Donald Trump administration? All you need to know"Test results showed no presence of dangerous infectious disease pathogens in any of the contacts," said the note from Russian authorities, which was relayed to The Associated Press by WHO."Based on available data, laboratory test results, and health status, medical monitoring for 100 per cent of the contacts has now been concluded," it said.

“The epidemiological situation is stable and remains under monitoring,” the WHO stated.ReutersA satellite image shows the Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, Russia, May 8, 2025.

An employee of the institute, Darya Shipilova, 28, was named by Russian media as the laboratory worker who, according to authorities, died from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin on October 2, 2026, prompting authorities to quarantine about 200 people and causing public health fears on social media.

Google/Airbus/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

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MANDATORY CREDIT.The woman died at a hospital in Shelekhov, a town just outside the city of Irkutsk, and its mayor said the hospital was placed under quarantine.

The top officials from Russia’s national public health watchdog traveled to the region on Friday.You Might Also Like:Plague outbreak: How ancient teeth help scientist decode deadly disease took place 5,500 years agoWHO Experts on CaseLindmeier, the WHO spokesman, told a U.N.

briefing on Tuesday that the....