Donald Trump has said the United States will help Russia to tackle what he called a "rough disease" after a laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia.
The US President told reporters at the White House on Monday (October 5) that the outbreak is a "big problem for Russia" and the US is prepared to offer its assistance.
Quarantine and monitoring in Siberia
Russian authorities have quarantined a hospital and are monitoring contacts of an employee at the plague research institute who contracted pneumonia from an "unknown" cause and died.
Russian authorities said they found no evidence that her illness was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with. However, unconfirmed reports suggest she may have died from pneumonic plague - a severe form of plague that can spread from person to person.
While the death has sparked public health fears on social media, Russian authorities said on Monday the situation was under control.
US President's response
"Well, I hate to see them having it," Trump said. "It's a rough disease."
"We'll help," he added. "Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we're always will to help."
Details of the case
The woman worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, south-eastern Siberia. A state TV station in Irkutsk reported on Monday that she died last week in a hospital in Shelekhov, a town just outside Irkutsk.
The hospital has been placed under quarantine, Mayor Maxim Modin said on Friday, no longer admitting or discharging patients, and its laboratory halted carrying out routine tests. The hospital's outpatient clinic kept operating as usual, he said.
Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said it was implementing "a full range of anti-epidemic measures". It said on Sunday (October 4) the woman was diagnosed with "pneumonia of unknown etiology" and said testing found "no microorganisms associated with the patient's professional activities".
Expert analysis
Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said the pneumonic plague is caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis, which is famous for causing the Black Death.
He said: "Pneumonic plague is particularly serious because it means the infection has reached the lungs and is nearly always fatal if not treated promptly.
"Unlike the bubonic plague which enters the body via infected flea bites, pneumonic plague can spread between people through respiratory droplets during close contact."
He added that antibiotics "work well" against the bacteria if given early enough.
Dr Clarke added: "Until more details emerge, it is difficult to assess whether this represents an isolated case, an occupational exposure, or evidence of wider transmission.
"Exactly why this lab was working with this pathogen remains to be understood, but it is present in wild animals, and it could have come from a surveillance study.
"Any outbreak of plague is worrying, but this can be controlled and stopped with appropriate surveillance and control measures. Transparency, rapid diagnosis, and effective contact tracing will be the most important factors in managing this outbreak."
