Trump to speak to Putin about plague lab worker's death in Russia

Trump to speak to Putin about plague lab worker's death in Russia US President Donald Trump stated that he will soon speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the death of a laboratory worker at a plague research facility in Siberia. "So acold we are successful precise heavy discussions," Trump said, adding that helium would beryllium capable to study connected his talks with Putin "probably" connected Thursday. Russian officials say they are investigating the cause of death of the 28‑year‑old. They note that everyone who had contact with the individual tested negative and have not confirmed that the suspected illness is pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection often described as the most virulent form of plague. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for transparency from Russia. "Timely, implicit and transparent accusation sharing nether the International Health Regulations is indispensable to clarify conflicting reports and alteration an close appraisal of imaginable nationalist wellness risks," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. According to the WHO, pneumonic plague has a very short incubation period—sometimes as little as 24 hours—and can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early. People can become infected through: - infected flea bites - contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials - the inhalation of respiratory particles Symptoms include shortness of breath and coughing, often with blood‑tinged sputum. Reports first emerged on Friday indicating that around 200 people had been placed under observation in Siberia's Irkutsk region following the death. The laboratory worker, named in Russian media as Darya Shipilova, had reportedly fallen ill a couple of days earlier. Unconfirmed reports suggested that she became sick after breaking a test vial containing the pathogen at the Anti‑Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East where she worked, or after a field trip to an area where plague is endemic among wild rodents. But Russian officials have downplayed those reports. The country's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said the woman died of "pneumonia of an undetermined etiology". Ongoing speculation about the worker's death has heightened tensions between Russia and the United States, raising questions about a possible spread beyond Russia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States has "measures" available to assist Russia if the situation proves more serious than claimed. The bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, is found in rodents such as marmots in the region. It killed up to half of Europe's population during the 14th century when it was known as the Black Death. The Anti‑Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East was established in the aftermath of a 1920s outbreak, just over a century ago.