White House / President·Public health
Trump says U.S. is ‘willing to help’ Russia after Siberian plague-lab death; Rubio says watch, don’t panic
President Trump said Monday the United States is “willing to help” Russia with a potential pneumonic plague outbreak after the death of a researcher at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, adding that he had not spoken to Vladimir Putin about it, the Washington Examiner reported; earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the case a “cause for focus” but not “alarm,” saying, “We’re watching and monitoring it closely.” Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has said the 28-year-old worker had “pneumonia of unknown etiology” and that testing found no microorganisms associated with her work, Fox News reported. Fox said reports that nearly 200 contacts are under observation have not been officially confirmed; our full story on the Irkutsk case has more.
- Washington ExaminerUS 'willing to help' with potential plague outbreak in Russia: Trump
- Fox NewsMystery death at Russian plague lab triggers sweeping precautions as US watches closely