More than $779,000 in U.S. taxpayer funding was awarded to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for research involving foxes in Siberia, according to a government watchdog, amid scrutiny of a Russian anti-plague facility linked to the broader research network.
The funding was issued through the National Institutes of Health, which operates under the Department of Health and Human Services overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. White Coat Waste, a bipartisan watchdog group, identified the grants in a report published this week.
The university received $389,943 in July 2025 and a further $389,746 in September 2026 for the research, according to the watchdog.
Research Involved Siberian-Bred Foxes
The research examined social behavior in foxes that had been raised at a breeding facility in Siberia.
According to White Coat Waste, animals involved in the work were killed before biological samples were sent to researchers at the University of Illinois for further analysis.
The project came under scrutiny from the watchdog because of its connections to Russian scientific institutions.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign worked in 2025 and 2026 with Russia’s state-run Institute of Cytology and Genetics, an organization that has previously worked with the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute.
White Coat Waste argued that the U.S. government should not have supported the research, pointing to a 2022 directive issued by the Biden administration that sought to halt federal funding for animal testing in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Daily Mail has contacted the NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
Irkutsk Facility Under Scrutiny
The funding disclosure comes as attention has focused on the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute following the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker.
Darya Shipilova reportedly became ill after allegedly breaking a test tube containing live bacteria at the Siberian facility. She was hospitalized and died on October 2.
Russian officials have described her death as resulting from an unidentified form of pneumonia.
Officials have also pointed to evidence that some of her colleagues had COVID-19 or the common cold.
Other reports, however, have alleged that Shipilova contracted pneumonic plague, a severe form of infection caused by Yersinia pestis, the bacterium associated with the historical Black Death.
Quarantine Followed Reported Laboratory Incident
Hundreds of people who had contact with Shipilova were reportedly placed under quarantine, along with five hospitals, including a maternity facility.
Local Russian media have subsequently reported that another person died from suspected plague in the Irkutsk region. The claim has not been independently confirmed.
Reports about the suspected case have also drawn attention to the disappearance of some Russian media coverage.
The Insider reported that REN TV removed five publications concerning the alleged plague situation in the Irkutsk region.
A report from Moscow’s Channel 5 broadcaster was also said to have disappeared.
WHO Says Cause of Death Remains Unclear
Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the World Health Organization’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, said Wednesday that the agency did not know what caused Shipilova’s death.
She said the WHO had not been provided with enough information to establish the causative agent behind the case.
The uncertainty has kept the reported diagnosis separate from Russia’s official description of the illness, with the suspected pneumonic plague infection remaining unconfirmed.
What Pneumonic Plague Does to the Body
Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis and can occur in several forms.
Bubonic plague, the most common form, typically causes swollen and painful lymph nodes, while pneumonic plague affects the lungs.
Pneumonic plague can cause coughing, difficulty breathing and the coughing up of blood.
Without prompt antibiotic treatment, the infection can become life-threatening.
The disease can also spread between people through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Plague Remains Present in Siberia
Plague occurs naturally in parts of Siberia, where Yersinia pestis circulates among wild mammals and their fleas.
Human infections in the region are considered uncommon, although cases have been reported.
Mongolia also recorded a human plague case in Khovd province in July.
Its National Center for Zoonotic Diseases said at the time that 17 of the country’s 21 provinces were classified as plague-risk areas.
The disease is also found elsewhere around the world, including parts of Africa.
Plague Cases Still Occur in the United States
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records roughly seven plague cases each year, with most occurring in northern New Mexico and Arizona.
The majority of U.S. infections are associated with flea bites.
Fleas can acquire Yersinia pestis from infected wild animals before transmitting the bacterium to humans.
Worldwide, an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 plague cases occur annually, with many reported in African countries including Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Untreated bubonic plague can be fatal in a substantial proportion of cases, while early antibiotic treatment can significantly improve the chances of recovery.
