Trump Calls Putin Over Mystery Plague Lab Death
US President Donald Trump said he has a call set up with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the death of a lab worker at a plague research centre in Siberia. The 28‑year‑old employee, named Darya Shipilova, worked at the Anti‑Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
Russian officials are investigating the death but have not confirmed it was caused by pneumonic plague. They say there is no risk of an outbreak and that the victim had pneumonia of an undetermined cause. About 200 people who were near her were put under observation after the incident.
Trump told reporters he does not think the situation is a bioweapon. He added, “We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so.” He also said Russia’s officials seemed to keep the situation under control.
The WHO, led by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has asked Russia for more transparency. It wants full details of lab tests and a verification of media reports of a second staff member with an unclear illness.
Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the country’s reporting has followed standard practice and accuses the media of spreading false information. He also denied that any phone call was scheduled with the US president.
The US has sent a formal diplomatic message to Russia requesting further information. The next day, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned that the United States had measures ready to help Russia if the situation were more serious than claimed.
WHO says pneumonic plague has a very short incubation period—sometimes just 24 hours—and can be fatal if not diagnosed early. The bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, lives in rodents such as marmots in the Siberian region.
Potential ways people can get infected are:
- Infected flea bites
- Contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials
- Inhaling respiratory particles
Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and often coughing up blood‑tinged phlegm. In the 14th century, plague killed up to half of Europe’s population, a pandemic known as the Black Death. The Anti‑Plague Institute was founded over a century ago in response to a 1920s outbreak.
