Rubio Calls Russian Plague Scare 'Cause for Focus,' Not Alarm

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the unexplained death of a Russian plague institute worker as a "cause for focus" but not for alarm, even as speculation grows that the 28-year-old may have contracted pneumonic plague. The worker was employed at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia.

"We know what we know, obviously, about whatever the Russians have provided, which is, it seems that there was a worker at the lab that was infected, and this concern that could have spread, at least internally. So you’ve seen them do quarantines," Rubio told reporters before departing for a trip to Europe.

He added, "There’s very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously. But like anything else, something like that gets out it could certainly spread."

The worker reportedly died from pneumonia of unknown origin, leading to a quarantine of the hospital where she was treated. Pneumonic plague is a severe bacterial infection that can spread person-to-person through the air and is typically fatal if not treated promptly with antibiotics.

"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 just to keep an eye on it," Rubio stated.

The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute conducts drills for plague response, including at the Russia-Mongolia border crossing.