US Tracks Suspected Plague Case in Russian Lab Worker: Rubio

US monitors suspected plague case in Russian lab worker amid fears of internal spread, says Rubio

Washington, DC, October 6

He noted that Washington's intelligence regarding the event remains restricted to details supplied by Russian officials, though US authorities are keeping a close watch due to the inherent risk of infectious diseases migrating beyond their initial source.

Whilst addressing reporters at Joint Base Andrews prior to setting off on a European visit, Rubio remarked, "We don't - we know what we know, obviously, about whatever the Russians have provided, which is it seems that there was a worker at the lab that was infected, and there's concern that that could have spread, at least internally."

He further observed, "So you've seen them do quarantines with this - of that nature."

Rubio emphasised that travel between the United States and Russia remains constrained, yet affirmed that Washington treats the scenario with gravity owing to potential wider dissemination risks.

He stated, "There's very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously. But like anything else, something like that gets out, it could quickly spread."

He added, "So we're watching and monitoring it closely. I don't think it's cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause to just keep an eye on it, and we're doing that."

Rubio refrained from specifying the particular Russian facility, the geographical site of the suspected contamination, or the specific variant of plague involved. Furthermore, he did not clarify whether American personnel independently verified the infection.

His observations suggested that the intelligence accessible to Washington originated directly from Moscow.

The remarks occurred during an extensive dialogue with journalists encompassing various topics, including Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, American military troop postings stationed in Britain, alongside the administration's strategic long-term national security framework.

When questioned separately regarding Moscow prompting foreign diplomatic personnel stationed in Kyiv to evacuate the Ukrainian capital, Rubio noted that Russian authorities have disseminated similar advisories across multiple months.

He stated that the United States maintains its diplomatic footprint inside Kyiv and will independently evaluate local security conditions.

Rubio declared, "We analyse every single day the safety of every diplomatic mission in the world, and if a threat arises that we feel needs to be addressed by a change in posture, we'll do so."

He continued, "We haven't done that up to this point there."

Rubio faced additional inquiries concerning the relocation of American bomber aircraft departing from RAF Fairford in Britain following a security alert the preceding week.

He advised against drawing direct links between aircraft redeployments and the security warning, explaining that US military equipment and personnel undergo frequent rotation and repositioning.

He stated, "The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be."

When asked if Washington retains trust in British security measures governing the installation, Rubio responded affirmatively.

He stated, "We have confidence in the security of all of our bases, because all of our bases are theoretically - could be threatened at any moment, and that's why there's so much security built around them."

Rubio mentioned that British officials collaborated closely alongside the United States throughout the inquiry into the security threat.

Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and occurs in several forms, including bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic plague. The risk of transmission varies by form, with pneumonic plague capable of spreading between people through respiratory droplets.

— ANI