Russia investigates suspected pneumonic plague; Trump ready to ‘help’

President Donald Trump says the United States is ready to help Russia after reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, as authorities monitor nearly 200 people who may have come into contact with the woman who died.

The woman, a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, identified in reports as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, became seriously ill while working at the institute and later died in hospital.

Reports initially suggested she may have been exposed to plague bacteria following an incident at the laboratory. However, Russian health authorities have rejected that account and said she died from pneumonia of unknown origin.

Officials said testing had not detected microorganisms associated with her professional activities and that there was no confirmed laboratory accident involving dangerous pathogens.

As a precaution, authorities have placed people who may have had contact with the woman under medical observation. Five hospitals in the region have also been placed under quarantine measures.

No additional cases of plague have been confirmed, and officials have said those under observation are not showing symptoms associated with the disease.

Pneumonic plague is a severe form of plague that affects the lungs and can spread between people through respiratory droplets. It can, however, be treated with antibiotics when treatment begins promptly.

Trump offers US assistance

The reports have also drawn attention in Washington.

Trump said the United States was closely monitoring the situation and was prepared to assist Russia.

“We’re looking at it very strongly, we just heard about it,” Trump told reporters when asked about the reported risk of pneumonic plague coming from Russia.

“We’ll help them, we’ll help them as much as we can,” he said.

Trump also said he had not spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the reported case.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring developments but indicated there was no immediate cause for alarm. The US State Department said it was coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies.

No confirmed outbreak

Despite reports describing the incident as a plague outbreak, Russian authorities have not confirmed a wider outbreak of pneumonic plague.

The cause of the laboratory worker’s illness remains a key point of uncertainty. Russian officials maintain that she died from pneumonia of unknown origin and that tests have not established a connection to plague bacteria.

The monitoring and quarantine measures are precautionary and are intended to identify any potential infections while the investigation continues.

Nearly 200 people are being monitored — but there are currently no confirmed cases of pneumonic plague among them.