WASHINGTON
DC—
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States is ready to assist
Russia after a laboratory technician at an anti-plague research institute in
Siberia died, prompting medical quarantines and international bio-surveillance
concerns.
The
incident involved 28-year-old laboratory worker Darya Shipilova at an
anti-plague facility in the Irkutsk region. Unconfirmed reports suggest she
accidentally broke a test tube containing pneumonic plague (Yersinia pestis)
pathogens before falling ill and dying of severe pneumonia in Shelekhov.
While Russian public health agency Rospotrebnadzor insists the
situation remains stable and under control, medical facilities placed nearly
200 people under isolation as a precautionary measure.
"Well,
I hate to see them having it. It's a rough disease... We'll help. Anybody that
has that kind of a problem, we're always willing to help." — Donald Trump, President of the United States
Addressing
reporters at the White House, President Trump referred to the situation as a
"big problem for Russia" and emphasized Washington's readiness to
offer epidemiological support. Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately
confirmed that U.S. intelligence and global health teams are closely monitoring
the Siberian outbreak as global health authorities call for transparent
reporting from Moscow.
