Donald Trump offered US assistance to Russia after a laboratory worker at a Siberian anti-plague institute died following severe pneumonia.
Russian authorities have quarantined a hospital and placed around 200 contacts under medical observation, but have not confirmed plague as the cause of death.
WHO has assessed the risk to the general population as low, while monitoring continues and no wider plague outbreak has been confirmed.
Trump Says He Is ‘Concerned’ About Russian Pneumonic Plague Case
“It’s a disease we used to be able to control,” Trump said, adding that the US would help “anyone that has that kind of problem”
Summary
US President Donald Trump has offered to help Russia deal with a suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, even as Russian authorities have not confirmed that plague caused the death of a laboratory worker and the World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk to the general population as low.
“We are looking at it very strongly. We just heard about it,” Trump told reporters on Monday, saying he had not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the case but was prepared to offer US support.
“It’s a disease we used to be able to control,” Trump said, adding that the US would help “anyone that has that kind of problem”.
The case involves 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, who died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia. Russian health authorities have described her illness as pneumonia of unknown origin and said testing had found no microorganisms associated with her work.
Russia Quarantines Hospital, Monitors Nearly 200 Contacts
Russian authorities have introduced precautionary measures in the Irkutsk region, including quarantining a hospital and placing about 200 people who may have had contact with Shipilova under medical observation.
No plague infection has been confirmed among those being monitored, according to Russian authorities. Two COVID-19 cases and two rhinovirus infections were detected among people under observation, Reuters reported.
The incident has attracted international attention because Shipilova worked at a facility specialising in plague research. Unverified reports have suggested that she may have been exposed to plague bacteria in a laboratory accident, but Russian authorities have denied any evidence of a pathogen-related incident at the institute.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely monitoring the situation but played down the immediate danger.
“I don’t think it’s cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause to just keep an eye on it,” Rubio said.
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A US State Department official also urged Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.
The WHO has said, based on unofficial information it received, that the public health risk to the general population “appears to be low”.
What Is Pneumonic Plague?
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is commonly found in small mammals and their fleas. The disease can occur in bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic forms.
Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and is particularly concerning because it can spread between people through respiratory particles. WHO says untreated pneumonic plague can become rapidly fatal, but early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment can be effective.
However, the current Siberian case has not been confirmed as pneumonic plague. Russian authorities continue to describe Shipilova's illness as pneumonia of unknown origin, while testing and monitoring measures remain in place.
The US administration is continuing to monitor the situation, while Russian officials have said there is no evidence so far of a wider plague outbreak.
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