The second case is described in the available information as suspected, not as a confirmed infection. The reports have fueled public debate over the dissemination of news related to plague in Russia.
According to France 24, the WHO and some Western officials have asked Moscow to provide more information about the death of a worker at a plague institute in Siberia. The available information does not establish the cause of death.
A senior WHO official has also urged Russia to share more information about suspected cases of pneumonic plague. The request therefore concerns data on cases described as suspected, without the available material confirming the second one.
Russian authorities have rejected the reports of a second case, characterizing them as false information. Moscow’s position contrasts with the WHO’s request for greater information-sharing on suspected cases.
The Kremlin said that Moscow had already shared what it knew about the matter, according to France 24. The same source also reported the accusation that the media were spreading false information.
The available information leaves both the possible confirmation of the second case and the cause of the worker’s death unclear. The documented picture therefore consists of a report that remains unconfirmed, a Russian denial and the WHO’s request for further information.