"Microbes are getting stronger, like an army": Trump says US will help Russia with plague problem

US President Donald Trump has offered to help Russia after a laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia fell ill and died.

Source: European Pravda with reference to CNBC

Quote from Trump: "We'll help. Everybody who has that kind of a problem, we'll always help. [...] That's a disease we used to be able to control. Somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and stronger, they're like an army."

Details: The US president said he had not spoken to Russian officials about the incident but described plague as a "rough disease".

"We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners. Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly," a state department spokesperson who did not wish to be identified told CNBC.

The World Health Organisation said in an emailed response that the cause of death had not been confirmed and investigations were ongoing. It said it was in contact with Russian officials and had offered support if needed, while assessing the risk to the wider public as low based on the information currently available.

It remains unclear whether Moscow has requested assistance.

Background:

• According to Russian media reports, on 25 September, Daria Shipilova, who worked at a plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast, broke a test tube containing the pathogen that causes pneumonic plague.
• She was admitted to hospital on 29 September and died on the night of 1–2 October, prompting local authorities to quarantine nearly 200 people.
• The White House subsequently said it was monitoring reports of a suspected case of plague and related quarantine measures in Russia.
• The European Commission also said it was very closely monitoring the suspected outbreak of pneumonic plague in Siberia and was prepared to coordinate response measures among EU member states if necessary.

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