China and Russia cooperate on suspected plague case in Siberia

China confirmed it is cooperating with Russia regarding a suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, amid rising global health concerns. The announcement came Tuesday from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. The case follows the death of a worker last week at an anti-plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region, prompting monitoring of about 200 contacts. China and Russia maintain close communication on infectious disease prevention, including pneumonic plague, according to Bloomberg News. Irkutsk, located north of Mongolia, does not share a direct border with China but has rail and air links to Chinese cities. Mongolia's health ministry assessed the risk as "low" Wednesday and pledged continued border health monitoring with Russia.