Trump Says US Ready to Help Russia Over Suspected Pneumonic Plague Case

WASHINGTON, Oct 6: US President Donald Trump has said the United States is willing to assist Russia in responding to a potential case of pneumonic plague, while noting that he has not spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation.

“We just heard about it,” Trump told reporters on Monday when asked about the reported death of a Russian laboratory worker who may have been exposed to plague bacteria. “We’ll help them,” he said, adding that Washington would assist “as much as we can.”

The remarks came amid reports concerning the death of Darya Shipilova, who reportedly worked at the Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia. However, Russian health authorities have not confirmed that she died from pneumonic plague.

Authorities said Shipilova died from pneumonia of unknown etiology and that tests had not detected a pathogen associated with her work. No additional deaths or illnesses linked to the case have been reported.

As a precaution, five hospitals in the area and dozens of institute workers have reportedly been placed under quarantine or medical observation.

Trump said diseases had become more difficult to control because “microbes and the germs have gotten stronger”, comments that appeared to refer to the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Pneumonic plague, however, can be treated with antibiotics when diagnosed and treated promptly.

The White House is monitoring the situation, while the US Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department are also on alert, according to Axios.

The European Commission has said it is monitoring the suspected outbreak “very closely”. The World Health Organization has also said that no official cause of death has been confirmed in the case.