Suspected pneumonic plague: Trump wants to talk to Putin about suspected plague

US President Donald Trump wants to telephone Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin about an unclear case of illness that resulted in the death of a laboratory technician in Russia. When asked by a reporter whether he had spoken to Putin about the case in which pneumonic plague is suspected, Trump said in Washington: "I have an appointment for a phone call." It will take place very soon.

The US health authority CDC had previously announced on Platform The CDC also made it clear that the reported case was not confirmed.

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According to the Russian authority responsible for disease control, the death of the 28-year-old, who worked at the Institute to Combat Plague Diseases, was not due to a plague pathogen. She named the cause of death as “pneumonia of unknown origin.” The woman died on Friday in the district hospital in the city of Shelekhov near Irkutsk in Siberia.

USA demands rapid communication of information

The US State Department had called on the Russian authorities to provide information quickly and transparently. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. government officials, reported that the U.S. warned Moscow that failing to disclose details of the lab worker's death would violate international health obligations. Russia is said to have provided the USA with little information about the mysterious incident.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on its website that the U.S. government's ability to help Americans in Russia is limited, particularly outside of Moscow. U.S. government employees may face additional restrictions on personal and business travel to certain regions due to health and safety concerns, it said.

Pneumonic plague is a severe form of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It can occur when the infection spreads to the lungs. The disease can be treated with antibiotics if therapy begins early.