US says it is in contact with Russia over suspected plague death in Siberia
In short
A US State Department official said Washington has been in contact with the Russian government since October 2 over the death of a woman who worked at a plague-control research institute in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast. The official did not give a cause of death, and speculation that plague was responsible has been spreading. Secretary of State Rubio told reporters on October 5 that he would not say whether plague infection was the cause, saying the US does not consider it a situation requiring alert but is watching carefully.
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A US State Department official said on October 6 that the United States has been in contact with the Russian government since October 2 over the death of a woman who worked at a plague-control research institute in Irkutsk Oblast, eastern Siberia. The official, cited by Sankei Shimbun, said State Department health experts are also taking part in the talks with Russia. [ 3 ]
The official did not comment on the detailed cause of death, and speculation that the death was caused by plague infection has been spreading. Secretary of State Rubio told reporters on October 5 that he would not say whether plague infection was the cause, saying the US does not consider it a situation requiring alert but is watching carefully. [ 3 ]
Japanese coverage was brief. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun carried the report as headline items leading on the US official's statement, while Sankei Shimbun, citing Kyodo, carried the fuller account. The documents did not give the woman's name, age or the exact place of death. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The death occurred at a facility that works on plague, and the United States and Russia have been in contact about it since the same day, according to a US official. The cause is still unconfirmed and Rubio said Washington does not treat it as a situation requiring alert, so the documents do not establish any wider public-health consequence yet.
Key facts
- A woman employed at a plague-control research institute in Irkutsk Oblast, eastern Siberia, died on October 2, according to a US State Department official. [ 3 ]
- A US State Department official said on October 6 that the United States has been in contact with the Russian government since October 2 over the death. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The official said State Department health experts are also taking part in the talks with Russia. [ 3 ]
- The official did not comment on the detailed cause of death. [ 3 ]
- Secretary of State Rubio told reporters on October 5 that he would not say whether plague infection was the cause, saying the US does not consider it a situation requiring alert but is watching carefully. [ 3 ]
- Speculation that the death was caused by plague infection has been spreading, according to the report. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the woman died of plague, and what the confirmed cause of death was. The US State Department official did not comment on the detailed cause of death and Rubio declined to say whether plague was responsible; the documents describe plague as spreading speculation rather than a confirmed finding.
- The woman's name, age and the exact place of death. The documents say only that she worked at an institute in Irkutsk Oblast.
- What the contacts between Washington and Moscow consist of. Only one document reports them, and it says solely that State Department health experts are taking part.
- According to the same official, the woman worked at a plague-control research institute in Irkutsk Oblast and died on October 2. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A woman working at a plague-control research institute in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, dies; US contacts with the Russian government begin the same day, according to a US official. [ 3 ]
- Secretary of State Rubio tells reporters he will not say whether plague infection was the cause, saying the US does not consider it a situation requiring alert but is watching carefully. [ 3 ]
- A US State Department official says Washington has been in contact with the Russian government since October 2 and that State Department health experts are taking part in the talks. [ 3 ]
- Reports appear on the morning of October 7 from Nishi-Nippon Shimbun (05:55), Tokyo Shimbun (06:00) and Sankei Shimbun (07:52). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]