The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he has a scheduled conversation with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to discuss a suspected case of plague, amid growing global concern about the incident.
“Very soon,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday (the 6th) when asked whether he had spoken with his Russian counterpart.
He indicated that the United States would disclose more information about the matter soon. “So far, we are in very in-depth discussions. We will probably be able to report something tomorrow,” the president said.
Trump’s remarks came after the death of an employee at an anti-plague research institute in Russia’s Siberian Irkutsk region, an incident that led about 200 people who had contact with him to be placed under observation, according to reports. The laboratory worker, 28, died last week after developing a severe pneumonia. Unconfirmed local reports stated that the researcher may have been exposed to the plague-causing bacterium after breaking a test tube.
The plague is one of the most feared diseases in history, responsible for pandemics that killed tens of millions of people. Today, however, human cases are rare and can usually be treated with antibiotics.
Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urged Russia to share more information about the case. He described the situation as concerning, but stressed that it would be irresponsible to speculate amid the lack of confirmed data.
“We encourage Russia to be transparent and to share more information with the world, so that all of us can respond appropriately,” Rubio told reporters during a trip to Iceland. He added that he hopes more details will be released “in the coming hours and days”.
“We are watching this very closely, and I believe the whole world is watching very closely as well,” he said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on social media that they are closely monitoring the reports. The agency stressed that the case has not yet been confirmed and reinforced that the plague can be treated with antibiotics. It also stated that, to date, there is no indication of a broader threat to the United States.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Russia reiterated the recommendation that American citizens not travel to the country and advised those who are already on Russian soil to leave the area immediately. The notice also mentions that U.S. government authorities may face travel restrictions due to “health and safety concerns”.
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