US President Donald Trump has said Washington is willing to assist Russia following the death of a laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia, an incident that has triggered health concerns and precautionary quarantines.
Trump made the remarks on Monday while speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for Nebraska.
Describing the situation as a serious problem for Russia, Trump said the United States would be prepared to provide assistance if needed.
“Well, I hate to see them having it,” Trump said. “It’s a rough disease.”
He added that the US would help countries facing serious health threats.
“We’ll help. Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we’re always willing to help,” Trump said.
The comments followed the death of a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia. The worker reportedly became ill and later died, prompting authorities to place people who had contact with her under medical observation.
The circumstances surrounding her illness and death have generated concern, particularly because she worked at a facility that researches plague.
However, Russian health authorities said there was no evidence that the woman’s death was caused by exposure to a plague pathogen at the institute. Officials said she died from pneumonia of unknown origin and that the situation remained under control.
Authorities have also said that all known contacts had been identified and placed under medical supervision, while no new cases among institute staff had been reported.
The incident has nevertheless sparked widespread speculation on social media about a possible plague outbreak in the Siberian region.
Plague is endemic in parts of Siberia, where the bacteria that causes the disease can circulate among wild animals and fleas. Human infections in Russia are rare.
The World Health Organization has assessed the public health risk to the general population as low based on the information currently available, while noting that the situation could be reassessed as more information emerges.
The US is also monitoring developments. Trump has previously said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is someone he can work with, despite continuing tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
For now, Russian authorities maintain that the situation is under control as investigations and health monitoring continue.
