参议员兰德·保罗（共和党，肯塔基州）表示担忧，俄罗斯可能正在从事涉及瘟疫的生物武器研究。与此同时，全球卫生官员正在试图获取更多关于一名在西伯利亚实验室工作的员工突然死亡事件的详细信息。
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) raised concerns that Russia could potentially be conducting biological weapons research involving the plague as global health officials seek more information about the mysterious death of a worker at a Siberian lab.
这名28岁的员工于10月2日因重症肺炎住院后去世，这一事件促使世界卫生组织要求俄罗斯当局提供更多关于她死亡原因以及是否还有其他类似事件的详细信息。
The 28-year-old worker died on Oct. 2 after being hospitalized from a severe case of pneumonia, prompting the World Health Organization to seek further information from Russian authorities on her unexplained death and a potential second incident.
作为参议院国土安全与政府事务委员会主席的保罗在周二接受采访时指出，俄罗斯过去的生物武器研发计划以及这名员工死亡的具体情况都值得进一步调查。
Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in an interview Tuesday that Russia’s past biological weapons program and the circumstances surrounding the worker’s death warranted closer scrutiny.
“我们从20世纪70年代和80年代的叛逃者那里得知，俄罗斯确实曾将瘟疫用于武器开发，”保罗对福克斯新闻的威尔·凯恩说，“因此这非常令人担忧。”不过，保罗并未提供任何证据来支持自己的说法，也没有确认这名员工的死亡与俄罗斯的生物武器计划有关。他建议美国官员通过卫星图像和俄罗斯的军事活动来寻找任何异常迹象。
“We do know from defectors in the 1970s and ‘80s that they were weaponizing the plague,” the senator told Fox News’s Will Cain. “So, this is concerning.”Paul did not provide evidence of his claims or confirm that the worker’s death was connected to a biological weapons program. He suggested, however, that U.S. officials examine satellite imagery and Russian military activity for signs of anything unusual.
“看起来有人暗示，这一事件背后的活动规模超出了普通瘟疫病例应有的范围，”这位肯塔基州共和党议员继续说道，“这让我们感到担忧——难道这真的是生物武器攻击的结果吗？”据报道，俄罗斯伊尔库茨克地区一家抗瘟疫研究机构的员工达莉亚·希皮洛娃于9月25日在打破装有活细菌的试管后死亡。
“It looks like some people are insinuating there is more activity than you would normally get from one case of the plague,” the Kentucky Republican continued, “which makes us concerned, could it be weaponized.”Daria Shipilova, an employee at an anti-plague research facility in Russia’s Irkutsk region, reportedly died after breaking a test tube containing live bacteria on Sept. 25.
伊尔库茨克地区省长伊戈尔·科布泽夫表示，这名员工死于“病因不明的肺炎”，因此当局展开了调查，并对近200名可能接触过病菌的人进行了隔离。
Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev said the employee had died of “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” prompting the investigation and isolation of nearly 200 people who may have potentially been exposed.
保罗批评俄罗斯在处理这起死亡事件时缺乏透明度，认为相关官员应该能够迅速确定瘟疫是否是导致这名员工死亡的原因。
Paul called Russia’s lack of clarity about the case of death “alarming,” arguing that officials should be able to quickly determine whether the plague was responsible for the death.
美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）表示，他们已经知晓这一事件，并正在“密切关注有关疑似肺鼠疫病例的报告”。该机构在一份声明中补充称，目前没有迹象表明这一事件会对美国构成更广泛的威胁。
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was aware of the incident and is “closely monitoring reports of a suspected case of pneumonic plague,” adding that there is currently no indication of a broader threat to the U.S.
声明指出：“肺鼠疫可以通过呼吸道飞沫在人与人之间传播，因此迅速识别和治疗感染者、以及对可能接触过感染者的人进行监测，是重要的公共卫生措施。”
“Pneumonic plague can spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets during close contact, which is why rapid identification and treatment of infected individuals, and monitoring of potentially exposed individuals, are important public health measures,” the agency said in a statement.