Trump to speak to Putin about plague lab worker's death in Russia

 US President Donald Trump says he has a call set up with Vladimir Putin about the death of a lab worker at a plague research centre in Siberia.

Russian officials say they are investigating the death of the 28-year-old employee and have not confirmed that the suspected disease is pneumonic plague. They insist there is no risk of an epidemic.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday evening he did not believe it was a bioweapon, adding "we're going to find out soon enough, but we don't think so." "If you listen to them, it's under control," he said, referring to Russian authorities.

"We hope it is," he added. Reports emerged on Friday of almost 200 people being placed under observation after the death. Referring to China's initial response to the Covid pandemic, Trump said: "Well, China didn't say much, and Russia is not saying much either. But they do say they have it very much under control."

Pneumonic plague is a serious lung infection, often described as the most virulent form of plague. Trump said the US was in "deep discussions" with Russia, but the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no phone call had been scheduled.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more transparency from Russia, and requested further information on the lab tests on the individual who died.

"We don't yet have the full picture of this event," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that the WHO was also seeking "verification of media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of undetermined cause."

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqgm0vrl3xp7o