On October 6, Donald Trump said he expected to discuss a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia with Vladimir Putin soon; the diagnosis and circumstances of a laboratory worker’s death remain unconfirmed.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected “very soon,” CNBC reported. Trump linked the planned conversation to the death of a laboratory worker in Siberia and reports of a possible plague case.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was monitoring reports of a suspected fatal case of pneumonic plague in Russia’s Irkutsk region. The agency said the circumstances remained unconfirmed and that there was no indication at the time of a broader threat to the United States. CNBC reported that the World Health Organization assessed the risk to the general public as low.
The Associated Press also reported that the WHO was in contact with Russian authorities and considered the risk outside Russia very low. It said Russian health authorities were investigating the institute employee’s death but had not confirmed a plague diagnosis.
Trump said U.S. agencies were holding in-depth discussions and might provide more information later. He had offered Russia assistance the previous day. At the time of CNBC’s report, the planned call with Putin had not yet taken place.