Rubio urges Russia to disclose plague lab death details

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday urged Russia to disclose more details about a suspected pneumonic plague outbreak after a lab worker handling the pathogens died, while the World Health Organization assessed the spread risk as generally low. Rubio, speaking in Iceland, said it is “incumbent” on Russia to be transparent so the world can react appropriately. The WHO awaits an official Russian assessment, and nearly 200 people are under observation, with over 100 hospitalized. The woman worked at a lab in Siberia’s Irkutsk oblast studying plague, which occurs naturally in local wildlife. Pneumonic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is rare but often fatal and spreads via respiratory droplets.