Russia denies plague measures after lab worker's death in Irkutsk

Russian authorities denied Tuesday that they were imposing anti-plague measures after a laboratory technician reportedly died of the disease, as Washington called on Moscow to be transparent about the situation. The worker at an anti-plague institute in Siberia's Irkutsk region reportedly died of pneumonic plague, but officials say the cause is unconfirmed. Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said an inspection by health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor found the woman died of pneumonia, with no plague microorganisms detected in her biological samples. The World Health Organisation said Russia reported no plague case in Irkutsk and estimated the risk as moderate to low for the city. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to share more information, while President Donald Trump offered assistance. Rospotrebnadzor responded by offering to help the US with its own infectious disease outbreaks, citing measles cases and a plague death in New Mexico.