Trump on potential plague case in Russia: ‘Big problem’
President Trump spoke for the first time after a researcher at Russian plague laboratory died of ‘unknown’ infection, calling it a “big problem.” The White House said they were monitoring the situation.
The researcher, a 28-year-old female laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia, in the town of Shelekhov, died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of “unknown” origin, according to Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian agency that handles infectious disease. Rospotrebnadzor has played down the link between the death of the researcher — named in local media as Darya Shipilova — and her work.
CNN unpacks the latest developments on the researchers death and the Russian response.
Video Summary
AI GeneratedPresident Trump and health experts are reacting to reports of a potential pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia following the death of a lab researcher. While the Russian government provides limited information, experts are concerned about the lack of transparency, the involvement of security agencies, and the possibility that the incident is linked to biological weapons research.