Donald Trump revealed that he is about to discuss with the Russian leader the death of an official at a plague research center in Siberia amid an uncertain situation that has led many countries to increase surveillance.
On Wednesday, 7 Oct 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to soon hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the mysterious death of a plague research laboratory official in Siberia, as global health agencies closely monitor the case.
Donald Trump stated that discussions are at a "very deep" level and that he expects to report the outcome of his talks with Vladimir Putin by Thursday.
However, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian government spokesperson, said that no official telephone discussion has been scheduled yet, confirmed that Russia has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the official’s death following standard procedures, and accused the media of false reporting about a possible plague leak.
Earlier, the U.S. sent a diplomatic letter requesting more information about the death. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated readiness to assist if the situation is more severe than Russia claims.
The deceased was 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, an official at the Siberian and Far Eastern Plague Prevention Research Institute in the Irkutsk region. Unconfirmed reports suggest she may have fallen ill after a test tube containing bacteria broke or from exposure during field studies of rodents.
Additionally, reports indicate that after Shipilova’s death, more than 200 high-risk contacts were quarantined for observation.
The Russian government insists that Shipilova died from pneumonia of unknown cause and that no plague bacteria related to her work were detected. Authorities assured there is "no risk of an outbreak among the population in Irkutsk city and surrounding areas." Over 90% of close contacts have undergone medical monitoring without signs of infectious disease.
Nevertheless, there are observations that several Russian state media outlets deleted previous reports about the plague and removed local travel advisories. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, has called on Russia to share information transparently and promptly.
Amid the uncertain situation, Mongolia has increased public health surveillance measures at its border with Russia, although it assesses the risk as low. Lithuania has also prepared its health system, including isolation wards and medicines, in case of infection detection.
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Source:bbc