# US ‘closely watching’ after Russian plague lab worker dies

https://mins.news/en/item/87411

- BBC Chinese, 2026-10-06 04:41 UTC
- Health
- Original: https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/cqx28nw0kn47o/trad?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> US President Donald Trump says Washington is watching the death of a laboratory technician at a plague research centre in Siberia “very closely”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concern that pneumonic plague could spread, while saying there was no reason for panic. Russian officials identified the cause as pneumonia of unknown origin, and said safety inspections found no emergency. Unconfirmed reports suggest the woman became ill after breaking a pathogen tube or after fieldwork in an area where plague occurs naturally among rodents.

## Related coverage

- [Did a Russian lab worker die from pneumonic plague? What we know — and don't know](https://mins.news/en/item/87241) — CBC News, 2026-10-06
- [Trump: US will help Russia combat potential spread of plague](https://mins.news/en/video/87219) — CNN, 2026-10-06
- [Rubio says US is ‘watching closely’ after plague researcher dies in Russia](https://mins.news/en/item/86959) — BBC News, 2026-10-05
