'DO NOT TRAVEL'

Trump Admin Drops Urgent Plague Warning

American travelers in Russia were reminded to “depart immediately.”

The U.S. Embassy in Russia is re-upping its “Do Not Travel” warning amid reports of “suspected pneumonic plague” in the Irkutsk region of Siberia.

In a statement on Tuesday, the State Department said it is monitoring press reports of quarantine measures and hospital closures.

“The U.S. government has limited ability to help U.S. citizens in Russia, especially outside of Moscow,” the alert said. “U.S. government personnel may face additional restrictions for personal and official travel to specific regions due to health and security concerns.”

Play Video

The State Department’s existing “Do Not Travel” warning for Russia, issued in December 2025 due to wrongful detention and security concerns, remains in place.

“U.S. citizens planning travel to Russia are again strongly advised not to travel to Russia due to risk of wrongful detention and security concerns,” the statement said.

Americans currently in Russia were reminded to “depart immediately.”

The embassy’s statement follows the death of a lab technician at an infectious disease institute in Siberia last week.

Russian officials have not confirmed the researcher’s name, but local and international media outlets identify her as Darya Shipilova, 28.

Unconfirmed reports suggest she contracted the illness after a lab leak or mishap.

Local media and officials have provided conflicting updates about the case.

Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said Shipilova died of “pneumonia of unknown etiology” and reported that the epidemiological and sanitary situation in the region was stable.

On Tuesday, Russian authorities told the World Health Organization that they found no plague in Irkutsk and were not aware of any symptoms among people who had been in contact with the deceased.

Meanwhile, CNN reports that a local official said authorities are implementing a “comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures.”

Local media says that nearly 200 people have been placed under medical observation and several hospitals have been quarantined. The reports are unconfirmed.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he was concerned about a potential outbreak, the Washington Post reported.

“The germs have really become relatively stronger than they were and things that used to work on pneumonia don’t work as well anymore,” he added.

Trump said on Tuesday that he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the possible plague case, the AP reported.

The World Health Organization said in a statement to PBS that the possible case presents a “very low” risk outside of Russia.

Infectious disease experts told The Atlantic that a large outbreak is unlikely.

“Once you have an accurate diagnosis, it’s readily treated with multiple types of antibiotics,” David Wagner, executive director of Northern Arizona University’s Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, told the magazine.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Evgenia AnastasakosBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.