CALGARY — A second person has reportedly died amid fears of a possible plague outbreak in Siberia, days after the mysterious death of a 28-year-old worker at one of Russia’s anti-plague research institutes.Russian media reports Tuesday claimed an unidentified second person died at a hospital in the Irkutsk region after allegedly contracting plague.The identity of the person, circumstances surrounding the reported death and cause of death have not been independently confirmed. Russian authorities have also not announced a second plague death and continue to maintain that no outbreak has been detected.The reported death adds another layer of uncertainty to a case that has already triggered quarantines, hospital restrictions and international scrutiny.The first person at the centre of the mystery was Darya Shipilova, 28, an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.Shipilova became seriously ill while on a field expedition and was admitted to hospital in late September before being placed on a ventilator. She later died after developing what Russian authorities described as pneumonia of unknown origin.Her death immediately attracted attention because Shipilova worked directly with Yersinia pestis — the bacterium responsible for plague — at the institute..According to Reuters, roughly 200 people who had contact with Shipilova were subsequently identified and placed under quarantine or medical observation.The situation took another turn Tuesday when Russian media reportedly began carrying claims that a second person had died at an Irkutsk district hospital after allegedly contracting plague. Details surrounding that person remain scarce.The reports have not established the individual's identity, whether they had any connection to Shipilova or the research institute, or whether laboratory testing confirmed Yersinia pestis. Some reports concerning the suspected outbreak have also reportedly been removed or altered by Russian media organizations, adding to questions about the information emerging from the region. Independent reporting has documented earlier plague-related reports being deleted or revised as officials urged residents to rely on information from Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's federal public-health agency.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged the public against relying on speculation surrounding the incident.“One should rely on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor rather than listening to various rumors and speculation,” Peskov said. Russian authorities maintain that Shipilova died from an unidentified form of pneumonia and say no plague cases have been detected among her known contacts..While early speculation focused on a possible accident inside the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, friends and former colleagues of Darya Shipilova have reportedly pointed to a very different potential source: wild squirrels encountered during field research.Shipilova reportedly participated in expeditions studying natural plague reservoirs in the region around Buryatia and Mongolia, where Yersinia pestis — the bacterium responsible for plague — can circulate naturally among rodents and the fleas that live on them.According to The Sun, people familiar with Shipilova’s work believe her field research should be examined as a possible source of exposure and have questioned reports that she became infected after breaking a plague-containing test tube inside the laboratory.One theory reportedly centres on long-tailed ground squirrels, which can carry fleas capable of transmitting Yersinia pestis. Researchers studying natural plague reservoirs routinely monitor rodents and their parasites to determine where the bacterium is circulating.The theory would potentially offer a natural explanation for Shipilova becoming sick without requiring an accident inside the institute.Friends and former colleagues have also reportedly challenged the alleged laboratory-accident scenario on practical grounds. They told The Sun that strict precautions were used when handling dangerous pathogens and disputed claims involving a shattered glass test tube, saying samples were instead handled in plastic containers..U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is calling on Russia to provide more information about the mysterious death of a worker at its Siberian plague research institute as international scrutiny of the incident grows.Speaking at a news conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Tuesday, Rubio said the United States was monitoring developments “very closely, hour by hour.”“I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” Rubio said.Rubio said information coming from Moscow remained limited and urged Russian authorities to be more transparent about what happened at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute.“We encourage Russia to be more transparent and share more information with the world,” he said. The secretary of state also cautioned against drawing conclusions before more information becomes available.“Maybe there’s nothing there. Maybe it’s bigger than we thought. We don’t know,” Rubio said.His comments mark an escalation from Monday, when Rubio said the situation was not yet a “cause for alarm” but was a “cause for focus.” He warned that an infectious disease escaping containment could potentially spread quickly and said U.S. officials were closely watching developments.President Donald Trump has offered U.S. assistance to Russia, an offer welcomed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. It remained unclear Tuesday whether Moscow would accept American assistance.Rubio said the United States has resources that could potentially assist Russia if the situation proves more serious than currently known, but stressed that Washington needs more information before determining what may be required..Russian authorities, meanwhile, continue to maintain that ''no plague outbreak has been detected.'' Rospotrebnadzor said no plague cases have been found among people who came into contact with Shipilova and maintains that testing did not identify microorganisms associated with her laboratory work.Pneumonic plague is the lung-based form of plague and can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact. Without prompt treatment it can progress rapidly, although modern antibiotics are effective when administered early.For now, however, neither Shipilova's death nor the reported second death has been officially confirmed as plague. The second death also remains based on emerging Russian media reports rather than confirmation from health authorities or major international news agencies.Russian officials say the epidemiological situation remains stable and that testing has found no evidence of plague among Shipilova's known contacts. That leaves a widening gap between reports emerging from inside Russia and the government's official account of what happened — with the precise cause of Shipilova's death still under investigation.
