Trump says he will speak with Putin “very soon” as US agencies assess reports of suspected pneumonic plague in Siberia.
WHO says Russia has reported no recent plague cases in Irkutsk and that identified contacts tested negative for high-threat pathogens.
The US Embassy in Moscow has issued a health alert, while officials stress that there is no indication of a broader threat to the US.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has a call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible case of pneumonic plague in Siberia, as the World Health Organization (WHO) sought more information from Moscow and the US issued a health alert over reports of a suspected case. Trump said the call would take place “very soon” and that US agencies were in “very deep discussions” about the situation, with more information expected possibly on Wednesday.
The concern centres on the death of a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Russia's Siberia region. She died on October 2 after developing severe pneumonia. Initial media reports suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague following an alleged laboratory exposure, but Russian authorities have not confirmed plague as the cause of death.
WHO Says No Plague Cases Confirmed In Irkutsk
The WHO said Tuesday that Russian health authorities had informed it that no case of plague had recently been registered in Irkutsk oblast. Moscow also told the UN health agency that an epidemiological investigation had been conducted, contacts had been identified and placed under medical observation, and no high-threat pathogens had been detected among them. Medical observation of the identified contacts has since been completed.
However, the WHO said it had requested further information about what caused the severe pneumonia, which pathogen prompted the public-health measures and reports concerning a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause. The agency said it remained in contact with Russian health authorities and had offered technical support.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the agency's initial assessment put the risk at moderate-to-low for Irkutsk, low for Russia as a whole and very low for the WHO European region. The organisation has brought technical experts into discussions as it seeks to establish what happened.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said it was monitoring reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case in Irkutsk and that there was currently no indication of a broader threat to the United States.
US Issues Health Alert As Trump Offers Help To Russia
The US Embassy in Moscow issued a health alert Tuesday saying it was aware of reports from Irkutsk of suspected pneumonic plague linked to the death of an individual, as well as reports of quarantine measures and hospital closures in the region. The embassy said it was continuing to monitor the situation.
The alert comes on top of the US State Department's existing Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Russia, which was issued for broader reasons including terrorism, unrest and wrongful detention. The existing Russia travel warning has not been changed because of the suspected plague case. US officials have urged Americans in Russia to follow local health guidance and said the US government has limited ability to assist citizens, particularly outside Moscow.
Trump said Monday that the US was willing to help Russia deal with the situation, describing plague as a serious disease. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, urged Moscow to provide more information and cautioned against speculation while many details remained unconfirmed.
