Rubio says US monitoring suspected Russia plague lab death, not alarmed

Daria Shipilova, 28, a worker at Russia's Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, allegedly broke a test tube containing pneumonic plague pathogen on Sept. 25 and died Oct. 1-2 after hospitalization for severe pneumonia. Authorities imposed quarantines and placed nearly 200 contacts under observation, reporting no symptoms. Russian officials have not confirmed plague, citing "pneumonia of unknown etiology." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is watching closely, calling it "cause for focus" but not alarm.