Donald Trump has said his administration is looking 'very strongly' at developments in Siberia after the death of a scientist from suspected plague, and that the US is on standby to offer help to Russia.
The US president commented after a female laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East died of pneumonia of unknown origin.
Trump warns microbes have become 'stronger and smarter'
'I hate to see them having it,' Trump said. 'It's a rough disease. We used to be able to control, but somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and smarter. They're like an army.'
'Even with great advancement, the germs have really become relatively stronger than they were, and things that used to work on pneumonia don't work as well anymore.'
The president said America 'will help them as much as we can,' although he has not spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Around 200 people under observation after scientist's death
After scientist Darya Shipilova, 28, fell ill and died, around 200 people who had contact with her are said to be under observation. It sparked fears of pneumonic plague, although her exact cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
Pneumonic plague is considered the most dangerous form of the disease, with a 24-hour incubation period. However, if the disease is detected, recovery rates are high and there is a treatment.
Health authorities worldwide monitoring disease
Health authorities around the world are monitoring the disease, including in the UK, EU and US. Chris Lewis, UKHSA's director of global health protection, told HuffPost that the watchdog is aware of media reports of 'containment measures' introduced in Siberia and that it was working through regulation channels to 'further understand the circumstances and verify the accuracy of these reports.'
However, the risk to UK population from plague remains 'very low' currently, he added.
