Rubio Says He Doesn’t Think Death Linked to Russian Plague Lab Is Cause for Alarm
The State Department says many details remain unconfirmed as Russian officials report negative tests and no confirmed plague infection.
- On Tuesday, U.S. officials confirmed they are closely monitoring a suspected pneumonic plague death in Russia's Irkutsk region, where a 28-year-old laboratory worker died last week from "pneumonia of unknown etiology."
- Darya Shipilova, a technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, fell ill on September 29 and died days later, prompting authorities to quarantine the Shelekhov hospital amid unconfirmed reports of a laboratory accident involving Yersinia pestis.
- Russian public health agency Rospotrebnadzor placed nearly 200 contacts under medical observation; officials deny any laboratory accident and state that testing detected "no microorganisms associated with the woman's professional activities" in her samples.
- Washington is watching the situation "very closely," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, urging transparency while the U.S. State Department noted that "many details have not been confirmed."
- Assessing the public health risk as low, the World Health Organization noted no wider outbreak has been confirmed; experts emphasize that prompt antibiotic treatment is effective for suspected plague cases.
233 Articles
233 Articles
Suspected pneumonic plague outbreak erupts in Russia after scientist dies
A suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia has landed on the White House’s radar, after a young lab worker was killed and about 200 others were reportedly forced into quarantine, an official said. Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old researcher at a Russian anti-plague research institute in Irkutsk, reportedly died after breaking a test tube containing the...
US Calls for Transparency on Reported Russian Plague Death
Russian officials are facing mounting questions after the mysterious death of a 28-year-old Russian researcher at a lab in Siberia that studies plagues. Now, U.S. health officials are calling for Russia to release more information about the death and prevent a potential outbreak. “Something like that gets out, it could quickly spread so we’re watching and monitoring it closely,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for …
Rubio Demands More Details From Russia as US Monitors Suspected Plague Outbreak “Hour by Hour”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Russia on October 6 to disclose more information about the death of a worker at a Siberian plague research institute, as Washington closely monitors the situation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called on the Russian Federation to provide more information about the death of a 28-year-old scientist in Irkutsk who, according to Russian media, died last week of pneumonic plague, Reuters reported. Russian authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of death.
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