Washington presses Russia on health crisis

Reports indicate that Russian authorities have not yet disclosed the exact cause of death of a woman who was working in a laboratory researching the plague in Siberia, despite four days having passed since her death. This has raised international concerns about the potential spread of an infectious disease. While the World Health Organization has described the risk of pneumonic plague spreading outside Russia as very low, US demands for Moscow to be transparent and to share information fully emphasize that the lack of details hampers the international response and increases potential risks, especially given that Russia possesses a germ weapon program that raises concerns within the international community.