Trump to speak with Putin over suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would speak “very soon” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia following the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would speak “very soon” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Siberia following the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker.

Trump said a call with Putin had been scheduled and that U.S. intelligence agencies were closely examining the incident.

“We’ll be able to report about it probably tomorrow,” Trump told reporters, adding that the United States was in “very deep discussions” about the case.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called on Russia to provide more information about the death.

“I think it’s incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world,” Rubio told reporters in Iceland. “We’re watching it very closely, hour by hour.”

Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, died on Oct. 2 after developing severe pneumonia.

Russian health authorities have said she died from “pneumonia of unknown aetiology” and have not confirmed that she had plague. Rospotrebnadzor said tests found no microorganisms associated with her work.

The death nevertheless prompted quarantine and monitoring measures involving people who had contact with Shipilova, while reports of a possible pneumonic plague infection drew international attention.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was aware of reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case in the Irkutsk region and was monitoring the situation.

The World Health Organization has also sought more information from Russia. It said the public-health risk to the general population appeared to be low based on the information available to it.

Pneumonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is the most serious form of plague. It can spread through respiratory particles, but early treatment with antibiotics is effective.