President Trump said the United States is watching the case of a Russian lab technician who died at a plague research centre in Siberia very closely, though he has not spoken to Kremlin officials about the matter.
The Anti‑Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East’s governor announced the death was due to “pneumonia of undetermined etiology” and that no microorganisms linked to the woman’s work had appeared in her samples.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the technician fell ill after either breaking a test tube containing Yersinia pestis or returning from a field trip to the Buryatia region, where the bacteria is carried by wild rodents.
Marking it as a potential but not imminent threat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is monitoring the situation and was not initially alarmed, but is focusing on preventing internal spread within the lab.
Russia’s consumer and health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed that a biological safety assessment found no emergency at the institute and that no other staff had sought medical attention since the incident.
Russian authorities have reportedly put nearly 200 people who were in contact with the deceased under observation as a precaution. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on official statements rather than rumours.
Biosecurity experts note that pneumonic plague, if transmitted between people, is highly lethal without prompt antibiotic treatment, though the outbreak could not trigger widespread lockdowns.
