US monitors suspected plague case in Siberia after researcher's death

A suspected plague case in Siberia has triggered US monitoring after a researcher died in a Russian laboratory, with around 200 contacts placed under observation. The White House is following the situation in the Irkutsk region. Daria Shipilova, 28, reportedly broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen on September 25 and died on October 2. Local authorities imposed quarantines, but Russia has not confirmed the diagnosis, citing pneumonia of unknown origin. The European Commission is also monitoring developments, noting the plague bacterium is treatable with antibiotics and absent from Europe for 50 years. The Kremlin urged reliance on official health agency statements rather than speculation.