China and Russia cooperate on suspected Siberian plague outbreak

China said Tuesday it is maintaining close cooperation with Russia regarding a suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in Siberia, following the death of a researcher in Irkutsk. The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed ongoing exchanges on infectious disease control with Russia. A 28-year-old female employee of a plague research institute died in a Shelekhov hospital between October 1 and 2, with possible infection sources including a recent trip to Thailand or an accidental lab tube rupture. The U.S. issued a warning Sunday about the potential outbreak, and Russian authorities have quarantined several Irkutsk hospitals. President Donald Trump plans a call with Vladimir Putin on the matter, while the ECDC monitors the situation and the WHO assesses European risk as "very low."