Trump: We Do Not Believe Plague Outbreak in Russia Linked to Biological Weapon

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States does not believe an incident at a Russian laboratory specializing in plague research is linked to biological weapons, after the death of an employee at the Anti-Plague Research Institute in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.

The 28-year-old employee died on October 2 after being hospitalized with pneumonia, while Russian authorities stated that the cause of death has not been definitively determined.

The incident attracted international attention following reports of a possible accident inside the laboratory, although Moscow has not confirmed that the employee was infected with plague.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had requested more information from Russia regarding the incident, after reports emerged that another laboratory employee had contracted pneumonia of unknown origin.

Russian authorities confirmed that thousands of tests were conducted and no plague infections were found among contacts, with precautionary measures taken including placing approximately 200 people under observation or quarantine.

International concern stems partly from the nature of the institute, which handles highly dangerous pathogens, and from the Soviet history of biological weapons programs.

However, there are currently no public evidence linking the Irkutsk incident to a biological weapons program, while the WHO states that the risk of plague spreading outside Russia is very low.