Russia warns against spreading 'false information' as reports emerge of second plague case

The Kremlin on Wednesday appeared to reject reports of a second
suspected plague case in Siberia, telling reporters when asked
about the accounts that most media reporting on the situation was
"false".

According to France24, the United States, the European Union and
the World Health Organization have all called on Russia to be
transparent over the reported plague death of a laboratory
technician at a plague research institute in Siberia's Irkutsk
region last week.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also called Wednesday for
Moscow to clarify "media reports of a second employee with
pneumonia of undetermined cause".

Asked about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told
reporters that "the media reports a great deal".

"And the vast majority of what the media is reporting regarding
this situation is false information," he insisted, calling on
people to rely solely on official statements from Russia's health
watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.

Peskov also said he had "no information" regarding a formal
request from Washington for clarifications about the situation.

A source close to the matter had said on Tuesday that the United
States had made such a request via a confidential diplomatic
communication, known as a demarche.

Russian news outlet People of Baikal reported Friday that the
dead woman – named as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova – may have
contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube.

Other media reported a possible link between her death and a lab
accident at the facility.

The People of Baikal outlet also said up to 200 people with whom
she may have had contact were under quarantine.

But Russian authorities say the cause of death is not confirmed
and Rospotrebnadzor has denied claims circulating in a document
online that special measures have been put in place.

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