Trump administration monitoring suspected Russian plague outbreak

The Trump administration is monitoring a suspected case of the plague in Russia , the State Department told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.

“We are aware of ​reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)] and our other interagency partners,” the department said in a statement to NewsNation.

“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” the official continued. “Plague is a known disease and is treatable with common antibiotics, especially when treatment starts early. Cases occur naturally in many parts of the world.”

NBC News reported Monday that in Siberia , around 200 people were facing medical observation in the wake of a 28-year-old lab worker — possibly exposed to the pneumonic plague — dying, local media reported.

On Sunday, the Russian consumer welfare service said the 28-year-old, who worked at an institute combating the plague in Irkutsk, died due to “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” NBC News reported. However, a specific cause of death has not been given by Russian authorities.

According to the CDC, pneumonic plague “is a rare and often fatal disease that can be transmitted by respiratory droplets from animals or persons infected with Yersinia pestis bacteria.”