Russia and WHO respond to possible plague case after lab worker dies in Siberia

The World Health Organization says a possible pneumonic plague case in Russia poses a "very low" risk outside the country, following the death of a lab worker in Siberia last week. Russian authorities report no plague cases have been confirmed among her contacts. The woman worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, which studies dangerous pathogens, and died at a hospital in Shelekhov, which was placed under quarantine. Russian health officials say preventive measures, including contact tracing and lab tests, have concluded with no dangerous pathogens found in any contacts. WHO has mobilized experts but has not been asked to deploy to Russia, where officials are investigating the cause of death. U.S. President Donald Trump offered help, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to share more information, noting transparency has been "quite limited."