US and India assess risk after Russian lab worker's plague death

The death of a 28-year-old lab technician at an anti-plague research institute in Russia has sparked international concern, with US President Donald Trump saying he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation. Moscow denies any outbreak, but unanswered questions remain. The woman, Darya Shipilova, died on October 2 from pneumonia of "undetermined" origin, though local reports suggest she contracted pneumonic plague after a test tube broke. Around 200 contacts have been quarantined, but Russian authorities say tests show no dangerous pathogens and the risk is under control. Experts say the risk to India is virtually zero, as plague transmission requires visibly sick individuals, making undetected international travel difficult. The WHO rates the risk as very low for Europe, while India's last major pneumonic plague outbreak was in 1994 in Gujarat.