US Monitors Suspected Plague Case in Russian Lab Worker, Rubio Raises Concerns

The United States is monitoring a suspected plague infection involving a laboratory worker in Russia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, citing concerns about possible transmission within the facility.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for Europe, Rubio said Washington’s information was based on details provided by Russian authorities. He did not identify the laboratory, its location or the form of plague suspected.

“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 said, referring to information supplied by Moscow.

Rubio also referred to quarantine measures but gave no details about their scope or the number of people affected. He did not say whether US authorities had independently verified the suspected infection.

‘NO CAUSE FOR ALARM’

Rubio said limited travel between Russia and the United States did not remove the need to monitor the situation.

“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 said.

He nevertheless cautioned against alarm.

“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.”

His remarks did not establish whether transmission beyond the laboratory worker had occurred.

US RETAINS DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN KYIV

During the same exchange, Rubio addressed Russian warnings urging foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital. He said Moscow had issued similar advisories over several months and that Washington would make its own security assessment.

“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 said.

The US had not made such a change in Kyiv, he added.

CONFIDENCE IN BRITISH BASE SECURITY

Rubio was also asked about the movement of US bomber aircraft from RAF Fairford in Britain following a security alert the previous week.

He cautioned against assuming a direct connection between the redeployment and the warning, saying US forces routinely reposition equipment and personnel.

“The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be,” he said.

Rubio expressed confidence in security at US bases and said British officials had worked closely with Washington during the investigation into the threat.

With inputs from ANI