Why Trump is worried about Russia’s plague ‘lab leak’

In the 14th Century, the Black Death wiped out up to half the population of Europe. So, no wonder world leaders, including Donald Trump, are keeping a careful watch on a plague scare in Eastern Russia.

One laboratory worker from a plague research facility in Siberia has died, with fears they may have been exposed to pneumonic plague – the most virulent and dangerous form of the disease. A further 200 people were placed in quarantine.

With the Covid pandemic still fresh in people’s minds, what is pneumonic plague and how worried should we be about a potential outbreak?

Niall Paterson speaks to Sky’s science and medical correspondent Thomas Moore.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk