A 28-Year-Old Worker at Russia's Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute Dies of a "Pneumonia of Unknown Etiology" and Nearly 200 People Are Put Under Observation — Marco Rubio Says It Is "Incumbent Upon Russia" to Share More, Rand Paul Says Soviet Defectors Described "Weaponizing the Plague," and Trump Says Moscow Says "They Have It Very Much Under Control"
In early October 2026, a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia died after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Regional officials gave the cause as "pneumonia of unknown etiology," and nearly 200 people who may have been exposed were placed under medical observation. Russia's consumer health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said tests on contacts found two Covid-19 cases and two rhinovirus infections and "no other infectious disease pathogens," and Russia told the World Health Organization that no case of plague had been recorded. The WHO said it was still asking which pathogen caused the pneumonia and rated the risk outside Russia "very low." Washington treated it as a suspected case of pneumonic plague. A State Department spokesman cited "reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague," said "many details remain unconfirmed," and urged Russian authorities "to share accurate information quickly and openly"; the department also lodged a formal diplomatic demarche. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a health alert repeating its standing advice that Americans leave Russia. The CDC said there was "no indication of a broader threat to the United States." Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the case "cause for focus" and, in Iceland the next day, said Russia should share more information with the world. Sen. Rand Paul raised the possibility that Russia had been weaponizing plague, citing Soviet-era defectors, though he offered no evidence connecting the death to any weapons program and scientists said there was none. President Trump said he had a call scheduled with Vladimir Putin about it; the Kremlin said no call had been arranged. On Oct. 7, Trump said he did not think it was a bioweapon.
“[In the Oval Office, saying he did not think it was a bioweapon, and asked whether Russia was giving him the same "vibe" as China at the start of Covid:] But they do say they have it very much under control.”