Koblentz: a major epidemic is unlikely; transparency matters

Gregory Koblentz, associate professor and director of biodefense graduate programmes at George Mason University, told Nature’s Max Kozlov that a major epidemic was unlikely. Limited transparency concerned him. He also said he knew of no historical evidence linking the Irkutsk institute to Russia’s biological-weapons programme.

This is expert opinion. The collected materials do not establish the cause of Darya Shipilova’s death. WHO (World Health Organization) previously assessed global risk as extremely low.

Nature:8 October 2026; exact publication and interview times unavailable. Introduction and two accessible answers read. Added 8 October UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).