WHO Chief urges transparency amid Russia plague reports

According to Barbados Nation, The WHO said Wednesday it wanted more information from Russia on the death of a plague laboratory technician — and on reports of “a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause”. The World Health Organization’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said full transparency was needed in order to make a proper assessment of the public health risk. He reiterated that the WHO stood ready to help Moscow with technical support, if asked. “WHO has been actively following up on the reported death of a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute,” he said on X. “The individual died on October 2, 2026, after being hospitalised with severe pneumonia. Initial media reports suggested pneumonic plague following an alleged accidental laboratory exposure.” On Saturday, the WHO contacted the Russian authorities to get more information, under the International Health Regulations. The