Taiwan tightens border vigilance as global scrutiny intensifies over unconfirmed Russian plague death
Taiwan’s government is closely monitoring unconfirmed rumors of a pneumonic plague outbreak spreading from Russia to China, with Premier Cho Jung-tai stating that border quarantine measures may be enhanced. The concern stems from the death of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old researcher at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia, who died on Oct. 2. While Russian authorities attribute her death to pneumonia of unknown origin and claim negative pathogen tests, international experts and officials remain skeptical due to Moscow’s historical opacity regarding biological weapons. Taiwan’s Ministry of Health has contacted the WHO to verify the cause of death, noting that no positive pathogen tests have been confirmed yet. Meanwhile, China has issued travel alerts for its border regions, and the US is urging greater transparency from Russia.