"Trump Administration Struggles to Formulate Plans to Deal with the Plague".. Sources Reveal Details to Afaq News

- The administration of President Donald Trump is facing difficulty in obtaining clear answers regarding the death of an employee at a Russian laboratory dedicated to studying the plague, as Russian officials continue to procrastinate and refuse to provide information about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the incident. The death of the employee - who worked at the Irkutsk Research and Plague Control Institute in Siberia - has raised immediate concern within the U.S. administration, prompting it to urgently work on gathering intelligence and planning a potential public health response, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

However, Russia's reluctance to share information related to the incident has hindered these efforts, leaving officials in a state of uncertainty regarding the broader risks that may arise from it and how to specifically protect the United States from them. A source familiar with the matter told Afaq News that the United States is considering issuing a formal diplomatic note known as a "démarche" to Russia to demand more information.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday, "It is incumbent upon Russia to share more information with the world. We do not know, but I think it would be reckless at this moment - given the limited information we have - to resort to speculation."

A U.S. State Department official stated that officials have been in contact with the Russian government since Friday, including communications between health experts at the department and the Russian Foreign Ministry. An administration official noted that this communication is ongoing, while Rubio expressed hope on Tuesday that the situation regarding the sharing of limited information would change "in the coming hours and days."

Trump also told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday that "a call is scheduled" to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about this issue "very soon," adding that U.S. agencies will have more information to report on "perhaps tomorrow." However, the United States has only received limited cooperation so far; the scant information coming from Russia has been met with significant skepticism, as officials are not convinced that the Kremlin is revealing the full facts, according to individuals familiar with the situation.

However, until the administration has more information through intelligence gathering and diplomatic communication, officials are not taking steps - such as imposing travel restrictions - to prevent any potential spread of the disease, according to an American official. It is worth noting that the United States is already advising against travel to Russia for several reasons, including the possibility of arbitrary detention and the ongoing war with Ukraine.

Among the critical questions that remain unanswered: Did the 28-year-old employee who died last week contract pneumonic plague (a serious but treatable infection) or another unknown infectious disease? It is noted that workers at the plague control institute are studying a range of other serious diseases, including cholera and anthrax, according to the institute's website.

American officials have also sought details on whether the disease has undergone any modification - a process known as 'gain of function' which could lead to a drastic change in the nature of the American and international response to the matter. Rubio and other officials in the Trump administration have publicly downplayed the direct threat facing Americans, asserting that the administration is closely monitoring the situation and that pneumonic plague is a treatable disease with antibiotics.

However, sources familiar with the situation reported deep concern within the administration due to the continued lack of clear information. Heightening these fears is the exaggerated Russian response, which included imposing quarantine on the hospital where the employee was treated, according to the mayor of the Shchelykovo district; a regional media outlet reported that nearly 200 people are under medical surveillance.

An American official said, 'We don't know much right now about what actually happened, but one thing we are fairly confident about: the Russians will act as the Chinese did during the COVID crisis; they will not be transparent or cooperative in disclosing information.' Nevertheless, Trump described the situation on Monday as a 'big problem' for Russia, indicating that the United States may need to provide an unspecified level of assistance.

In a statement issued by it, a spokesperson for the State Department mentioned that several federal agencies "are closely monitoring the death suspected to be caused by pneumonic plague," but noted that many details surrounding the incident remain unconfirmed. The spokesperson reiterated that the long-standing advice to Americans is to avoid traveling to Russia for any reason. The spokesperson said, "We urge Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly."

In the days following the death of the laboratory employee, officials from the National Security Council and the State Department led the administration's efforts to gather information, form a picture of what happened, and assess potential risks, according to officials and other informed sources. Federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Strategic National Stockpile, participated in the joint government efforts.

An informed source on the communications reported that Trump officials also informally reached out to the World Health Organization - the international health body from which Trump withdrew funding shortly after taking office, but the government continued to communicate with it during emergencies. The World Health Organization stated on Monday that it is in contact with Russian authorities to verify the details of the employee's death, but it has not yet received much information.

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University who has worked closely with the World Health Organization, stated: "If you are not transparent, and if you are not open to independent accountability, how can we trust that the Kremlin is providing us with full and accurate information?" He added: "It is clear, on the surface, that the laboratory was conducting highly dangerous research and using poor biological safety procedures."

The relatively remote location of the plague control institute in eastern Russia, along with the limited ability of pneumonic plague to spread rapidly, has provided health experts with some reassurance about the potential containment of any direct threat. Pneumonic plague is a bacterial infection, unlike the highly contagious strain of coronavirus that caused the 2020 pandemic, and although the plague is deadly if untreated, there are now effective antibiotics widely available for its treatment.

While there are no significant indications that this incident will lead to another global health crisis, officials and independent experts have confirmed that it has nonetheless highlighted the difficulty of detecting and preparing for potential biological threats. These officials and experts noted that the Department of Health and Human Services may have the necessary medical stockpile to combat traditional pneumonic plague.

However, there is little certainty regarding its ability to do the same against a modified version of it, or how long it would take to develop a treatment for it if needed. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiology professor and director of the Center for Health Security at the Brown University School of Public Health, stated that this incident comes at a time when health response capabilities in the United States and globally have declined due to funding cuts and the pressure from responding to other crises.

The World Health Organization proposed a budget cut after a $600 million deficit caused by the withdrawal of the United States. It added that America's ability to handle a new public health response has "diminished significantly" amid its efforts to combat the measles outbreak.

Nuzzo said, "We are talking about an extremely strained system. God forbid that another pathogen be added to the already hard and exhausting work of combating measles."