Trump responds to concerns over suspected plague case in Russia, saying US 'willing to help'

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States stands ready to assist Russia after the unexplained death of a young woman employed at a Siberian laboratory devoted to studying plague. The episode has set off international concern, and U.S. officials say they are watching it, according to Fox News.

Trump told reporters that disease-causing bacteria have grown tougher over time and that treatments once reliable against pneumonia are now less effective. He added that the United States is always willing to help anyone facing such a problem.

Russia's consumer health regulator, Rospotrebnadzor, announced Sunday that the 28-year-old had been diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin. Its tests found no microbes tied to her work at the Irkutsk facility, and the agency said it had identified no incidents involving dangerous pathogens there.

A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, speaking to NBC News, cautioned that the details of the case have not been verified. The spokesperson noted that plague is a bacterial illness that antibiotics can treat, especially when caught early, and said available reporting points to no wider danger for Americans.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →