US closely monitors plague researcher's death in Siberia

The United States is closely monitoring the case of a Russian lab technician who died at a plague research center in Siberia, with President Donald Trump saying Washington is looking "very strongly" at the incident. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there is concern the death could lead to the spread of pneumonic plague, though he stressed there is no cause for alarm. Irkutsk's governor announced the cause of death as "pneumonia of undetermined etiology" and said no micro-organisms linked to the woman's work were found in her biological samples. Unconfirmed reports suggest the technician fell ill after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen or following a field trip to a region with natural plague among wild rodents. Russian media reported nearly 200 contacts were under medical observation, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to rely on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor, which found no emergency at the institute.