The US State Department is closely monitoring unverified reports of a suspected fatal case of pneumonic plague originating in Russia and has urged Moscow to promptly provide accurate information about the incident.
A State Department official, speaking anonymously to Fox News, said Washington was aware of the reported death in Irkutsk Oblast in southeastern Siberia. The official said the situation was being monitored in coordination with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies, while stressing that several details had yet to be officially verified. The official also called on Russian authorities to release all available information.
