<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump on Tuesday stated he has scheduled a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin "very soon" to discuss the suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in Siberia.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump indicated that the United States is "willing to help" Russia contain any potential outbreak of the plague, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that there is no cause for alarm as the U.S. monitors the situation.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The president spoke with reporters before attending an event in Maryland and was asked about discussions at intelligence agencies, as nearly 200 Russians were placed in quarantine following the death of Daria Shipilova, a lab technician at Russia’s Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"We’re in very deep discussions," Trump said. "We’ll be able to report about it probably tomorrow." </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Shipilova, 28, reportedly died of "pneumonia of unknown etiology" last week, prompting a lockdown in a town near the capital of Irkutsk. Some reports suggested that Shipilova fell ill after accidentally breaking a vial of <em>Yersinia pestis</em>, but Russian authorities have denied that an incident occurred at the facility. Concerns arose that Shipilova may have died from the pneumonic plague, but there has been no confirmation of such suspicion.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">No reports or evidence indicate that the lab Shipilova worked at was conducting bioweapons research, as most instances of laboratory biosecurity-related incidents have previously involved Russia.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The governor of the Irkutsk Oblast region, Igor Kobzev, stated on Monday that no other workers from Shipilova’s lab have sought medical attention and emphasized that the situation is under control.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday that it is monitoring the situation in Russia but emphasized there is "no indication of a broader threat" to the U.S.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump maintains a friendly relationship with Putin and expressed concern over Russia's potential struggle with an outbreak.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"That’s a disease we used to be able to control, but somehow those microbes got stronger and smarter than like an army," he said regarding the pneumonic plague, adding that "we’ll help anybody that has that kind of a problem." </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by <em>Yersinia pestis</em>, the same bacteria responsible for bubonic plague. The disease can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets after close contact with an infected person.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pneumonic plague is rare, and outbreaks can generally be contained through prompt diagnosis, treatment of patients, and preventative antibiotics for those who have had close exposure, according to the CDC.</p>