A Russian consumer watchdog said only that an employee of an anti-plague institute in the Irkutsk Region contracted pneumonia, despite rumors of a plague outbreak in Siberia.[8017824][7985929] Nearly 200 people have been placed under observation following the death of a lab worker from what was reported as a case of pneumonic plague.[7992257][7985929] The European Commission is monitoring the situation very closely, with a spokesperson stating that they are in touch with experts from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.[7985929] The US is also monitoring the situation, with a Russian agency linking the lab worker's death to pneumonia of unknown origin.[7931765] Russian authorities have denied a link to the bacterial infection, but the situation has raised concerns about the spread of the disease.[7985929][7992257] The death of a lab worker in Siberia has sparked concern despite Russian authorities' denial, and the US is taking the situation seriously.[8017824][8176982]