Trump says US ready to aid Russia with plague outbreak in Siberia

What the report says

US President Donald Trump said the United States is prepared to help Russia respond to a suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting on Monday. Trump said Washington was reviewing the situation and would assist if needed, while also noting he had not yet spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about it. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately said the issue was not a reason for panic, but should be watched closely.

Russian authorities have quarantined a hospital and are tracing contacts after the death of a worker at a plague research institute in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia. Local media identified the deceased employee as a 28-year-old laboratory technician, though official details remain limited. Russian reports said nearly 200 people were being monitored, and state agency TASS said the case was initially described as pneumonia of unknown origin.

The World Health Organization said, based on unofficial information, that the public-health risk to the general population appears low. A US State Department official said Washington wants Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly. Pneumonic plague is a severe bacterial infection that can spread through respiratory droplets and can be fatal without early treatment, though antibiotics can be effective if given promptly.