No Thanks: Russia Offers to Help Fight Measles in U.S. After Plague Lab Incident

Russia’s consumer-welfare agency Rospotrebnadzor issued a statement Tuesday offering to help the United States combat outbreaks of the measles in several states – making a painfully transparent effort to distract from growing international criticism of the Russian government for a possible outbreak of pneumonic plague from a research lab in Siberia.

“The Russian Federation is ready to assist the United States in combating outbreaks of infectious diseases,” Rospotrebnadzor said, pointing to measles outbreaks in several U.S. states, one of them severe enough to prompt an emergency declaration in New York.

The Russian agency also mentioned outbreaks of typhoid fever and legionellosis in the United States, and then tipped its cards by saying, “The first fatal case of plague in 2026 was reported in New Mexico.” There is no evidence that the case of plague in New Mexico involved the same bacteria as the one alleged in Siberia, as the Russian government has not confirmed what pathogen caused the illness in question, and it is unlikely to be the same pathogen given the radically different natural biomes of New Mexico and Siberia.

The biggest health story in the world right now is the outbreak of respiratory plague in Siberia, which appears to involve the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East. A laboratory worker died last week from what Russian officials insist on describing as “pneumonia of unknown origin,” but local news reports claim she became sick after dropping and shattering a test tube full of an unknown pathogen at the lab.

Over 200 of the lab worker’s contacts have been placed under observation while unverified reports claim restrictions are being put in place, but officials insist the situation is completely under control. 

The Russian government faces mounting local and international criticism for refusing to share complete and transparent information about the crisis, and the worst suspicions – fueled by rumors of a presence of FSB security agents on the scene – are that the incident could involve an artificially enhanced or weaponized version of bubonic or pneumonic plague.

“Russia has extensive practical and scientific experience in ensuring epidemiological well-being both at home and abroad,” the Rospotrebnadzor statement on Tuesday insisted.

“To help prevent and control outbreaks of infections, Russia is ready to provide the US side with specialists, laboratory equipment, and highly effective diagnostic and preventive tools,” the statement said, “which can help resume joint work between Russia and the United States in protecting public health from infectious threats.”

The Russian agency statement was most likely a response to President Donald Trump telling reporters on Monday that the United States is prepared to help Russia with the Irkutsk situation.

“Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we’re always willing to help,” the president said.

Trump added that his administration is looking at risk mitigation strategies for potential infections from the “pneumonia plague” in Russia “very strongly,” which is probably the comment that irked Russian officials enough to issue their taunting statement on Tuesday.

Rospotrebnadzor insisted on Monday that while some of the people who came in contact with Patient Zero in Irkutsk have taken ill, they have not been diagnosed with any version of the plague.

“Laboratory tests have confirmed two Covid-19 and two rhinovirus infection cases,” the agency said.

Russian state media claims the Irkutsk lab worker died from a “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” and some officials who initially attributed her death to a form of plague have since retracted or softened their statements. Rospotrebnadzor insists that “no emergency or security breach occurred” at the laboratory.

American and European officials nevertheless said they were closely monitoring the situation in Irkutsk and complained Russia is not sharing everything it knows about the situation in a timely manner.

The Moscow Times reported on Tuesday that a maternity hospital called the Irkutsk City Perinatal Center has begun screening its patients for plague exposure. The center began preventing anyone except pregnant patients from entering the facility on Friday, so men have not been allowed to attend the births of their children at the facility.

Russian officials told the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) on Tuesday that no additional plague cases have been “recorded in the city of Irkutsk,” and everyone who came into contact with initial victim, Daria Shipilova, has now been traced and tested.