As of about 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, the United States has sent Russia a formal diplomatic complaint, known as a démarche, over its response to the reported death of a worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, ABC News reported, while Russia calls the death pneumonia of unknown origin and says it found no plague among her contacts.
No official source quoted here has confirmed that plague was involved. Russian authorities have described the death as “pneumonia of unknown origin,” according to CBS News on Wednesday. The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow use cautious wording such as “suspected” and “reports of,” and the CDC says it is assessing developments.
What the démarche is
ABC News reported that the U.S. issued a démarche, a formal diplomatic complaint, over the Russian government’s response, “urging the country to increase transparency surrounding the incident.” A U.S. official told ABC early Wednesday that the démarche was transmitted to representatives of the Russian government within the last few hours. The document itself is classified. The official said it reminds Moscow of its requirements to comply with international health regulations.
A State Department spokesperson told ABC: “We have officially requested additional information from the Russian government. We are also in official communication with other countries around the world to share information.”
No Russian reply to the démarche had been reported as of about 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday.
The woman and what is officially said about her
NBC News reported on Tuesday that Russian media outlets and her mother identified the woman, and that her name and age have not been announced by officials. CBS News reported on Wednesday that she is Darya Shipilova, 28, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. CBS gives Oct. 2 as the date she died.
CBS reported that initial Russian media reports, some of which were quickly taken down, suggested the worker had contracted pneumonic plague after a lab accident. That has not been confirmed: Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s health watchdog, says no accidents were detected at the institute (see below). Regional and national Russian authorities have not confirmed that plague was involved, NBC reported on Tuesday.
What Washington has said
State Department and Embassy. According to NBC News, a State Department spokesperson said Monday there had been “reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague” in Irkutsk oblast. A State Department official told NBC on Tuesday that the U.S. had been in contact with the Russian government as early as Friday, with State Department health experts and the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry taking part. A State Department spokesperson later told CBS that the Embassy in Moscow had “engaged Russian authorities about the reported death” and “asked for additional information,” which it encouraged Russia to share “quickly and transparently.”
Trump. ABC News reported that on Monday Trump said: “Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we’re always willing to help.” On Tuesday, ABC reported, Trump told reporters at the White House that a call with Vladimir Putin had been scheduled and would happen “very soon.” Neither ABC nor the other outlets quoted here give a date for the call.
Rubio. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked Tuesday in Iceland by ABC News about speculation over what caused the death, said it would be “irresponsible for me here to sit and speculate because we just don’t have all the information yet.” He also said: “I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world. That’s what they should do.” ABC reported that Rubio said the department was tracking the situation “hour by hour.”
CDC. NBC News reported that the CDC said on X that it was “working across the U.S. government to assess developments as additional information becomes available.” According to NBC, the CDC added: “At this time, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States, but CDC and our interagency partners are prepared and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
What the Embassy’s Oct. 6 health alert says
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow posted a health alert dated Oct. 6. On its page, the Embassy says it “is aware of press reports from the Irkutsk region of suspected pneumonic plague resulting in the death of an individual and of associated quarantine measures in, and closures of, hospitals in Irkutsk,” and adds: “We continue to track the situation closely.”
For people in the area, the alert advises that U.S. citizens “should follow the guidance of local health authorities, avoid affected facilities, and seek medical care promptly if they develop fever or respiratory symptoms.” It also says the U.S. government “has limited ability to help U.S. citizens in Russia, especially outside of Moscow.”
The Moscow Times reported Oct. 7 that the Embassy’s alert was “urging Americans to leave Russia.” The alert itself repeats the State Department’s standing Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, which it says “remains in place” and which the same Moscow Times article says has been in place since January 2022. The alert says it again strongly advises against travel to Russia “due to risk of wrongful detention and security concerns.” Its Irkutsk-specific advice is to follow local health guidance, avoid affected facilities and seek medical care promptly for fever or respiratory symptoms.
What Russia and the WHO say
Rospotrebnadzor. Russia’s consumer and health watchdog said Tuesday, as reported by NBC News, that “Laboratory testing identified two cases of Covid-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection” among contacts, and that “No other infectious disease pathogens were detected among the contacts.” NBC noted the statement did not mention plague, and reported that at that point 60% of the identified group had been tested. NBC also reported that the agency said its probe found “no incidents involving the handling of pathogenic microorganisms.” ABC quoted a statement that “no accidents have been detected at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute while working with pathogenic microorganisms.”
CBS News reported Wednesday that Rospotrebnadzor said it was easing precautionary measures in Irkutsk after determining there was no epidemic risk. According to CBS, it said no plague cases were detected among the 200 people screened after contact with her, that 90% of those quarantined for monitoring had been released, that nearly 5,000 lab tests found no dangerous pathogens, and that the worker had been vaccinated against the infections she worked with.
Kremlin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, ABC reported, that official information would come from Rospotrebnadzor, adding: “the media are reporting a great deal right now, and the overwhelming majority of what the media are reporting around this situation is false information.” On Monday, ABC reported, he said: “It is always very good when mutual assistance is offered,” and that he had not heard Trump call it a major problem for Russia. CBS reported Wednesday that the Russian government said it was open to “promptly” scheduling a Trump-Putin call, but that nothing had been scheduled yet.
Irkutsk officials. NBC reported that the Irkutsk governor said Monday that no “microorganisms linked to the employee’s professional activities were detected” in her body. The regional Rospotrebnadzor office said Tuesday that reports of an “enhanced sanitary-epidemiological regime” were “fake,” saying, “No such decisions have been made at this time.” That denial covered only that regime. NBC also reported that Maksim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhov municipal district, said the inpatient facility where the worker is said to have been treated had been closed for quarantine, and that Russian media cited officials saying nearly 200 people who had been in contact with her were under precautionary medical observation.
World Health Organization. NBC reported Tuesday that, per the WHO, Russian health officials told it no case of plague has been recorded in Irkutsk and that the illness “initially presented as a typical acute respiratory viral infection.” The WHO said it was awaiting confirmation of “what pneumonia-causing pathogen had led to the individual’s death.” CBS reported Wednesday that the WHO called on Rospotrebnadzor for more information, and requested more after media reports suggested a possible second infection, but that nothing has been confirmed so far.
Timeline as reported
- Friday, Oct. 2: CBS gives this as the date of the worker’s death. A State Department official told NBC the U.S. was in contact with the Russian government as early as Friday.
- Sunday, Oct. 4: NBC reports Rospotrebnadzor announced that a female staffer at the institute had died from “pneumonia of undetermined” origin.
- Monday, Oct. 5: A State Department spokesperson cites “reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague,” per NBC. Trump says the U.S. is willing to help.
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: The Embassy health alert is dated this day. Trump says a call with Putin is scheduled, and Rubio speaks in Iceland.
- Early Wednesday, Oct. 7: A U.S. official tells ABC the démarche was transmitted within the last few hours.
- Wednesday, Oct. 7, as reported by CBS by 1:22 p.m. EDT: Peskov, Rospotrebnadzor and the WHO make statements, and the Russian government says no call has yet been scheduled.
Suspected versus confirmed, and what is not known
Reported by CBS: a lab worker at the institute died, with CBS giving the date as Oct. 2. Also in the reporting above: Russian authorities call the cause pneumonia of unknown or undetermined origin; Russia says its testing of contacts found no plague; the U.S. has formally asked for more information.
Not publicly known as of about 2:30 p.m. EDT: the cause of death; whether the Trump-Putin call has taken place; whether Russia has answered the démarche; and whether a second illness exists. CBS reported that nothing about a possible second infection has been confirmed. Reports of one, which CBS says came from some media, should be read as unverified.
CBS also noted that tight information controls in Russia make independent verification difficult.