Trump offers U.S. help to Russia after plague death; WHO assesses the situation as low risk

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to press members before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2026. Mehmet Eser | Anadolu | Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump has offered to help Russia after a laboratory worker died following an illness at a plague research institute in Siberia, while the Russian authorities said the situation was under control."We'll help," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday when asked about the case. "Everybody who has that kind of a problem, we'll always help," according to a Reuters transcript.A laboratory worker at an anti-plague research institute in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia fell ill and died in undisclosed circumstances, reportedly prompting authorities to quarantine nearly 200 people and fueling public health concerns.Trump said he had not spoken to Russian officials about the case, but described the plague as a "rough disease.""That's a disease we used to be able to control," Trump said, adding that "somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and stronger, they're like an army.""We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners. Ma...