Trump To Discuss Suspected Plague Case In Russia With Putin

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the call with Putin would take place“very soon” and that U.S. intelligence agencies were closely examining the incident. He said Washington would provide more information about the case as its assessment develops.

Trump had earlier offered U.S. assistance to Russia in investigating the case, describing the disease as serious and saying Washington was prepared to help if needed. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also called for Russia to provide accurate information about the incident.

The case involves a 28-year-old laboratory worker, Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia. She developed severe respiratory symptoms and died on October 2 after being hospitalized in the city of Shelekhov. Russian health authorities have described the cause of death as pneumonia of unknown origin and have not confirmed that she had plague.

The circumstances surrounding her illness have generated intense speculation on Russian social media and local Telegram channels. Some reports have claimed that she accidentally broke a test tube containing the bacterium that causes plague while working at the institute. However, there is no independent evidence confirming that a laboratory accident occurred, and Russian authorities have said testing found no dangerous pathogens among the people who had contact with her.

Nearly 200 people were initially placed under medical observation as a precaution, although many have since been released. Reuters reported that Russian authorities have not linked the woman's death to plague or her laboratory work, and no relevant pathogens were found among contacts.

The World Health Organization said it is closely monitoring the situation and has requested additional information from Russian health authorities, including details about the laboratory tests and the cause of the pneumonia. WHO said the available information indicates that the public-health risk to the general population is low, with the risk assessed as very low beyond the region.

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