Russia denies plague measures in Siberia as US urges transparency

Russia denied Tuesday taking special plague control measures in Siberia's Irkutsk region after reports of a worker's death at a plague institute, while Washington urged Moscow for more transparency. The denial follows speculation about a possible pneumonic plague infection. The 28-year-old employee, Daria Shipelova, died amid unconfirmed reports that up to 200 contacts were quarantined. Russia's consumer watchdog called a circulating document about health measures false, while Governor Igor Kobzev attributed her death to "idiopathic pneumonia" with no work-related pathogens found. The U.S. is monitoring the situation, with President Donald Trump planning to discuss it with Vladimir Putin and Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting more information. The World Health Organization assessed the risk as low for Russia, very low for Europe, and moderate-to-low in Irkutsk.