Rubio says US monitoring reports of plague infection at Russian lab
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- A 28-year-old researcher at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute died of severe pneumonia, triggering local health precautions and quarantines.
- Russian health chief Anna Popova convened an extraordinary anti-epidemic meeting in Irkutsk regarding the suspected high-consequence infection.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Monday that the United States is closely watching reports regarding a suspected plague infection connected to a research laboratory in Russia, adding that while the situation warrants focus, it is currently not a "cause for alarm."
Speaking to reporters prior to his departure for Iceland, Rubio noted that travel between the two nations remains extremely limited, though vigilance is required for potential pathogen spread.
"There's very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously, but like anything else, something like that gets out, it could quickly spread," Rubio said.
"So we're watching and monitoring it closely. I don't think it's cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause to just keep an eye on it. And we're doing that."
The comments follow the death of a 28-year-old researcher employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) stated that the cause of death as pneumonia of unestablished etiology.
“No micro-organisms associated with the employee’s professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient,” Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement, maintaining that the “epidemiological situation” in the Irkutsk region remains stable.
Regional Governor Igor Kobzev confirmed on Telegram that Popova attended an extraordinary meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission in connection with a "suspected case of a particularly dangerous infectious disease in a resident of the region."
