Kremlin urges reliance on official statements amid Irkutsk infection rumors
In short
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Rospotrebnadzor is the competent agency on the situation in the Irkutsk region and that people should follow its official statements rather than rumors and speculation. The comments follow the death of a 28-year-old laboratory assistant at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute, which Rospotrebnadzor said was caused by “pneumonia of unspecified etiology,” after media sources suggested she might have had pneumonic plague. Rospotrebnadzor reported a stable sanitary-epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov on October 4, while US and EU authorities said they were monitoring.
Read the full story 2 min read
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for relying on official information about the situation in the Irkutsk region, saying that Rospotrebnadzor is the agency competent in this area. “In this case, the lead agency competent in this field is Rospotrebnadzor. And it is precisely its official statement that should be the guide, without listening to various rumors, various reasoning and so on,” Peskov said, according to Vedomosti. He added that Rospotrebnadzor employs “high professionals in this field,” Meduza reported. TASS and RIA Novosti carried the same appeal without further detail. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The statements followed the death of a 28-year-old laboratory assistant at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute. Rospotrebnadzor officially said the cause of death was “pneumonia of unspecified etiology,” Vedomosti and Meduza reported. According to Meduza, the woman died in a hospital in the city of Shelekhov, and sources cited by several media outlets said she might have had pneumonic plague; the agency did not confirm that. [ 3 , 4 ]
On the morning of October 2, Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev announced an extraordinary meeting of the regional sanitary-anti-epidemic commission with the participation of Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova, Vedomosti reported. The reason was information about a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection in a resident of the region; the governor said at the time that all identified contacts had been placed under medical observation. On October 4, Rospotrebnadzor reported a stable sanitary-epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov. Vedomosti reported that extended studies of the patient's material found no microorganisms linked to her professional activity, that contacts were placed under observation in hospital, and that two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection were identified, with no other infectious disease agents found. [ 3 ]
Meduza reported that Shelekhov authorities had urged people on social media on October 3 to refrain from travelling to the city, but deleted the message soon afterwards. On October 4, the outlet “Lyudi Baikala” wrote that several hospitals in Irkutsk had been closed for quarantine, and Meduza said the claim received neither confirmation nor denial, which it stated also contributed to the spread of rumors about an outbreak. The outlet added that US and EU authorities said they were aware of the possible outbreak and were “closely monitoring” events in the Irkutsk region. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The case has drawn attention beyond the region because media sources raised the possibility of pneumonic plague and because US and EU authorities said they were monitoring the situation. The coverage also shows how an official diagnosis, deleted local warnings and unconfirmed reports of hospital quarantines fed widespread rumors, prompting the Kremlin to redirect questions to Rospotrebnadzor.
Key facts
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Rospotrebnadzor is the competent agency and that its official statements should be the guide, not rumors or speculation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- A 28-year-old laboratory assistant at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute died; Rospotrebnadzor said the cause was “pneumonia of unspecified etiology.” [ 3 , 4 ]
- Sources cited by several media outlets said the woman could have had pneumonic plague; no official confirmation of that was reported. [ 4 ]
- Governor Igor Kobzev announced an extraordinary meeting of the regional sanitary-anti-epidemic commission with Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova on the morning of October 2, after information about a suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection. [ 3 ]
- On October 4 Rospotrebnadzor reported a stable sanitary-epidemiological situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov. [ 3 ]
- Among contacts placed under medical observation in hospital, two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection were found; no other infectious disease agents were identified. [ 3 ]
- US and EU authorities said they were aware of a possible outbreak and were closely monitoring the situation in the Irkutsk region. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for relying on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor and not on rumors about the situation in the Irkutsk region. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- An employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute died, and Rospotrebnadzor said the cause of death was “pneumonia of unspecified etiology.” [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the woman who died had pneumonic plague. The possibility was raised by sources cited by several media outlets, while Rospotrebnadzor officially named the cause of death as “pneumonia of unspecified etiology”; no official confirmation of plague was reported.
- Reports that several hospitals in Irkutsk were closed for quarantine. The claim comes from the outlet “Lyudi Baikala” on October 4 and, as Meduza reported, received neither confirmation nor denial, which the outlet said contributed to the spread of rumors.
- The warning by Shelekhov authorities against travel to the city. According to Meduza, the authorities posted the appeal on social media on October 3 and deleted it soon afterwards; no explanation was reported.
- The full findings of the extended laboratory studies of the patient's material. Vedomosti reported that extended studies found no microorganisms linked to the woman's professional activity, but the cause of the pneumonia is described only as unspecified.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that Dmitry Peskov urged people not to listen to rumors and speculation about the situation in the Irkutsk region. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that Peskov urged listening to official statements about the situation in Irkutsk. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti publishes Peskov's call, quoting him saying Rospotrebnadzor is the competent agency and its official statement should be the guide. [ 3 ]
- Meduza reports the Kremlin's call, the origins of the plague rumors and that US and EU authorities said they were closely monitoring the situation. [ 4 ]