Trump to speak with Putin over reported plague death in Russia

US President Donald Trump pledged to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon regarding a reported plague fatality at a laboratory in Siberia. Washington has been pressuring Moscow for transparency on the matter. Russian authorities have denied allegations of implementing anti-plague measures and downplayed the incident, which occurred at a plague research facility in Irkutsk region.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also called for Russia to share more information about the situation. The cause of the deceased technician's death remains undetermined, but some media reports suggest the cause may be related to a lab accident. Up to 200 individuals who may have been in contact with the deceased are currently under quarantine.

Russian officials stated that postmortem tests did not detect the disease, and the staff at the institute showed no signs of illness. The WHO emphasized the importance of timely, complete, and transparent information sharing to evaluate potential public health risks.