Russia Disputes US Claims on Plague Lab Worker Death Notification
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Russia followed proper procedures in notifying the WHO, while criticizing media coverage of the incident.
Russia has asserted that it appropriately informed the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the death of a laboratory worker at a Siberian plague research institute, pushing back against reports that the United States had lodged a formal diplomatic complaint over the handling of the incident. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Wednesday that Russia adhered to established procedures in notifying the WHO and accused the media of disseminating false information.
The laboratory worker reportedly fell ill and died under circumstances that have not been fully disclosed. The incident prompted authorities to quarantine dozens of individuals and led to the dispatch of the head of Russia's health watchdog to the Irkutsk region, where the institute is located.
Peskov characterized much of the media coverage as inaccurate and advised reliance on information released by the state health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor. On Tuesday, Rospotrebnadzor reported that no plague cases had been detected among individuals who had contact with the deceased.
Local reports indicated that the lives of residents in the area had experienced minimal disruption. Peskov also noted that no phone call was currently scheduled between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the matter. Trump had previously stated that he would speak with Putin soon about the case.
