US President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon” over suspected plague case. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would have a word with Putin about the case “very soon. “Health authorities are investigating after the death of an employee at an anti-plague institute, which authorities attributed to pneumonia with an unknown cause,” he said.
Asked what the US intelligence community was saying about the case, Trump said the US is in “very deep discussions” on the topic. “We’ll be able to report about it, probably tomorrow,” he said, as reported by news agency AP.
WHO on Russina plague
The World Health Organisation said the case presents a “very low” risk outside Russia. The United Nations agency said it was in contact with Russian authorities following reports of the death last week of a woman who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
What happened?
A 28-year-old laboratory worker died following severe pneumonia, with reports linking her illness to a possible exposure to a dangerous pathogen at an anti-plague research facility. Nearly 200 people who may have come into direct or indirect contact with the woman have reportedly been placed under medical observation or isolation.
The incident occurred in Shelekhov, a town near Irkutsk, where the woman worked at the Anti-Plague Research Institute. According to reports, she told medical personnel before her death that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live biological material while working at the facility.
She later developed severe pneumonia of “unknown origin” and was admitted to hospital. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was placed on a ventilator before dying on Thursday (October 1). Reports have raised fears that she may have been exposed to pneumonic plague, although Russian authorities have not officially confirmed that plague was the cause of her illness or death.
What is Pneumonic plague?
Pneumonic plague is different from the more commonly known bubonic form because it primarily affects the lungs. It can be transmitted from an infected person to another person through respiratory droplets, making it a potentially serious public health concern if transmission occurs.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms can include a sudden fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing respiratory problems such as breathing difficulty, chest pain and coughing. Patients may also produce watery or blood-tinged mucus. The World Health Organisation says plague can be fatal if treatment is delayed, but it is treatable with appropriate antibiotics when diagnosed and managed promptly.
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