Trump says he will speak to Putin 'very soon’ over suspected plague death; WHO chief urges transparency from Russia
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump says he will speak to Putin 'very soon’ over suspected plague death; WHO chief urges transparency from Russia")
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters Photograph: (AFP)
Trump plans to speak with Putin over a suspected plague death in Russia as WHO urges Moscow to share more information about the case
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘very soon’ over reports surrounding the death of a laboratory technician in Russia, as Washington called on Moscow to provide greater transparency about the incident. Russian authorities have denied that special anti-plague measures were imposed and have played down reports of a suspected incident at an anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region last week.
Washington, however, has expressed growing concern. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Moscow to disclose more information about the case so that other countries could assess the situation and respond appropriately. "We encourage Russia to be transparent and share more information with the world so that all of us could react accordingly and appropriately," Rubio said during a visit to Iceland.
“Depending on what we learn about it, we would learn how to respond.” Trump later confirmed that he planned to discuss the matter with Putin. "I have a call scheduled, yes," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether he had already spoken with Putin about the issue. He said the conversation would take place ‘very soon’.
US presses Russia for information
The Wall Street Journal reported that the US State Department had sent Moscow a confidential diplomatic communication, known as a demarche, warning that failing to provide details about the incident could conflict with Russia’s international health obligations. The reports emerged after the death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.
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Cause of death remains unclear
Russian outlet People of Baikal reported on Friday that Shipilova may have contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke. Other reports suggested that her death could have been connected to a laboratory accident. The outlet also reported that as many as 200 people who may have come into contact with Shipilova were placed under quarantine. Russian authorities have rejected claims that the cause of death was confirmed as plague. Health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor also denied information circulating online that special measures had been introduced.
"We wish to clarify that the document and information in question do not originate from official sources and are untrue," it said on Telegram. Officials said postmortem testing did not detect plague. Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said Monday that an inspection by Rospotrebnadzor determined that Shipilova had died from pneumonia, although the exact cause remained 'undetermined'. "No microorganisms linked to the young woman's professional work were found in her biological samples," he said, adding that no other employees at the institute had sought medical treatment since her death.
WHO assesses risk
The World Health Organization said an update it received from Russia on Tuesday stressed that no case of this dangerous disease has been recorded in the city of Irkutsk. According to the WHO, Russia has launched an epidemiological investigation into a "case of community-acquired pneumonia" involving an employee of the Irkutsk institute. Authorities have identified people who had contact with the employee and arranged medical monitoring and laboratory testing.
"Test results showed no presence of dangerous infectious disease pathogens in any of the contacts," the update said, according to the WHO. The UN health agency said the available information indicated a moderate to low risk for Irkutsk. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the organisation was continuing to monitor the situation closely.
What is pneumonic plague?
Plague is a bacterial infection that can occur in several forms. Pneumonic plague is the most contagious form and can spread through respiratory transmission, while bubonic plague is generally associated with infected fleas. According to the WHO, pneumonic plague can cause severe lung disease and can be fatal if treatment is not started promptly. Trump had said Monday that the United States was prepared to assist Russia if necessary.
In an apparent response, Russia’s health watchdog said Tuesday that Moscow was also willing to help Washington deal with infectious disease outbreaks in the United States. The agency pointed to what it described as a significantly worsened measles situation in three US states, as well as a fatal case of plague reported in New Mexico in June.
Measles infections have risen in the United States during the Trump administration, under which Robert F. Kennedy Jr serves as health secretary and has faced scrutiny over his views on vaccines. Meanwhile, an international conference focusing on plague and other infectious diseases is scheduled to take place in Irkutsk on October 21 and 22. Organisers said the event was unrelated to the recent death of an employee of the anti-plague institute.
