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LatestMoldovan health minister says there is no risk of escalation, in connection with suspected case of pneumonic plague in Russia

WHO risk, Irkutsk Oblast: Moderate to low

Pneumonic PlagueNews

Independent aggregation and plain-language explainers on the 2026 pneumonic plague case reports in Irkutsk, Russia.

Aggregated

Reader polls and claim votes

Response totals for every poll and every claim vote on the site. These are unscientific reader samples, they are open to organised voting, and they are never treated as evidence about the outbreak itself. Vote widgets on the coverage pages hide results until you have voted.

Updated

Vote counts are seeded with sample figures so results display before the poll has traffic; they are replaced by real votes as readers take part.

All polls and claim votes

16 total

When a public health agency states there is no risk to the public, how much do you trust that assessment?

This asks about your general level of trust in public health statements, not about any single country or agency.

  • Fully 37.5% 317
  • Somewhat 18.8% 159
  • Not very much 23.8% 201
  • Not at all 19.9% 168

845 votes · confidence-official-statements · open

How closely are you following the Irkutsk plague reports?

A quick check on how much of this story you have been reading. There is no right answer.

  • Following closely 28.1% 429
  • Occasionally 23.2% 354
  • Only headlines 24.1% 368
  • Not following 24.5% 373

1,524 votes · attention-following-russia · open

What is your main concern about these reports right now?

This is about what you are thinking about today. Choose the closest answer, and any answer is valid.

  • My own health 35.4% 386
  • Family and travel plans 21.5% 234
  • Whether the information is accurate 18.6% 203
  • I am not concerned 24.4% 266

1,089 votes · concern-personal · open

Do you believe this claim: the laboratory worker caught the infection from a broken test tube?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 27.8% 100
  • Do not believe it 41.4% 149
  • Cannot tell 30.8% 111

360 votes · claim-broken-test-tube · open

Do you believe this claim: pneumonic plague is the most contagious form of plague?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 26.5% 472
  • Do not believe it 30.5% 543
  • Cannot tell 43% 766

1,781 votes · claim-most-contagious-form · open

Do you believe this claim: plague can kill within 24 hours if it is not treated?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 31.5% 252
  • Do not believe it 23.3% 186
  • Cannot tell 45.3% 362

800 votes · claim-dies-within-24-hours · open

Do you believe this claim: there is a confirmed plague outbreak in Russia?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 28.3% 321
  • Do not believe it 26% 295
  • Cannot tell 45.7% 519

1,135 votes · claim-confirmed-outbreak · open

Do you believe this claim: plague is untreatable, or has become an antibiotic-resistant superbug?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 32.7% 178
  • Do not believe it 45.5% 248
  • Cannot tell 21.8% 119

545 votes · claim-untreatable-superbug · open

Do you believe this claim: the mpox or smallpox vaccine protects against plague?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 35% 197
  • Do not believe it 37.7% 212
  • Cannot tell 27.4% 154

563 votes · claim-mpox-vaccine-protection · open

Do you believe this claim: it spreads easily between people on a plane?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 30.4% 369
  • Do not believe it 39.7% 482
  • Cannot tell 29.9% 363

1,214 votes · claim-spreads-on-a-plane · open

Do you believe this claim: borders have been closed because of this?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 43.1% 245
  • Do not believe it 28.6% 163
  • Cannot tell 28.3% 161

569 votes · claim-borders-closed · open

Do you believe this claim: the woman had immunity, so her death proves a new strain?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 42.5% 131
  • Do not believe it 28.9% 89
  • Cannot tell 28.6% 88

308 votes · claim-immunity-new-strain · open

Do you believe this claim: plague is endemic in Siberia, so this was inevitable?

Reader opinion only: this records what visitors believe about this claim, not what is true.

  • Believe it 40.9% 246
  • Do not believe it 28.5% 171
  • Cannot tell 30.6% 184

601 votes · claim-inevitable-in-siberia · open

Which bacterium causes plague?

A knowledge question about settled medical facts. The sourced answer appears after you choose.

  • Yersinia pestis  Correct answer 37.5% 372
  • Vibrio cholerae 21% 208
  • Salmonella Typhi 23.6% 234
  • Bacillus anthracis 17.9% 178

992 votes · quiz-basics-1 · open

Which form of plague can spread from person to person?

A knowledge question about settled medical facts. The sourced answer appears after you choose.

  • Pneumonic plague  Correct answer 36.1% 251
  • Bubonic plague 20.4% 142
  • Septicemic plague 20.3% 141
  • All three forms equally 23.2% 161

695 votes · quiz-basics-2 · open

What happens when plague is treated with antibiotics early?

A knowledge question about settled medical facts. The sourced answer appears after you choose.

  • People usually recover  Correct answer 43.9% 658
  • Antibiotics do not change the outcome 23.4% 351
  • Only surgery is effective 17.2% 258
  • Treatment must wait for laboratory results 15.5% 232

1,499 votes · quiz-basics-3 · open

What these numbers are not

A vote here is one click from one visitor. There is no sampling frame, no weighting, no verification that a voter is who they say they are, and no defence against a group deciding to vote together. Nothing on this page supports a claim about what “people think”.

We publish raw counts and percentages so the numbers can be checked, and we keep the option labels neutral so that no poll nudges an answer. Medical questions are only ever asked about settled facts sourced to WHO or CDC.