The lack of transparency from Russia about plague death is concerning, former CDC director says

>> Martha: THE UNITED STATES. IS DEMANDING MORE INFORMATION. FROM RUSSIA ABOUT A POSSIBLE. DEATH FROM THE PLAGUE. A LAB WORKER REPORTEDLY WAS. INFECTED AFTER ACCIDENTALLY. BREAKING A TEST TUBE. THE RUSSIANS SAY THAT THEY. TRACED ALL THE CONTACTS AND. FOUND NO DANGEROUS INFECTIOUS. DISEASE PATHOGENS. FORMER DIRECTOR DOCTOR ROBERT. REDFIELD STANDING BY. FIRST TO SENIOR FOREIGN POLICY. CORRESPONDENT GILLIAN TURNER. REPORTING LIVE FROM THE.

STATE DEPARTMENT. HI, GILLIAN. >> THIS JUST IN A MOMENT AGO TO. US EXCLUSIVELY, OFFICIALS TELL. US THAT STATE DEPARTMENT HEALTH. EXPERTS HAVE BEEN IN DIRECT. TOUCH WITH RUSSIA'S FOREIGN. MINISTRY ABOUT THIS SINCE LAST. FRIDAY WHICH IS NOW FIVE DAYS. AGO OR NEARLY FIVE DAYS AGO BUT. IF YOU LISTEN TO SECRETARY RUBIO. SPEAKING THIS MORNING, IT SOUNDS. LIKE HE IS AGAIN REITERATING HIS. CALL THAT IT IS TIME FOR RUSSIAN. OFFICIALS TO S START TALKING.

TAKE A LISTEN. >> THE MORE WE CAN LEARN ABOUT. WHAT HAPPENED, THE BETTER ALL OF. US CAN BE IN A POSITION OF. RESPONDING AND THERE IS NOTHING. THERE AND MAYBE IT'S BIGGER THAN. WE THOUGHT. WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE THOSE. DECISIONS ON THE BASIS OF THE. INFORMATION WE ARE LEARNING AND. BEING PROVIDED AND SO FAR THAT. IS STILL QUITE LIMITED. >> Reporter: RUSSIA OFFICIALS. NOT SAYING MUCH PUBLICLY EITHER. BUT A KREMLIN SPOKESMAN DID SAY. THIS OVERNIGHT. TAKE A LISTEN. >> TO BE HONEST, I DID NOT HEAR.

THE PRESIDENT SAYING THAT HE. CONSIDERS THIS A MAJOR PROBLEM. FOR RUSSIA. I DO NOT THINK HE SAID THAT. >> Reporter: IT IS UNLIKELY. THAT THAT IS GOING TO DO MUCH TO. QUELL RISING INTERNATIONAL. CONCERN ABOUT A POTENTIAL COVER. UP. NOR THIS, THE WORLD HEALTH. ORGANIZATION PROVIDING ZERO. INFORMATION ABOUT THE THREAT TO. AMERICANS. >> IF SHE REALLY WAS A LAB. WORKER CORRECT SHE SHOULD HAVE. STARTED ANTIBIOTICS IMMEDIATELY. THEY GENERALLY DON'T DIE THAT. WAY AND IT'S UNUSUAL. THERE HAS BEEN REPORTING OF THE.

FSB, SECURITY SERVICES COMING IN. AND QUARANTINING PEOPLE. THAT'S PRETTY UNUSUAL FOR A LAB. ACCIDENT WHERE ONE PERSON GOT. INFECTED. >> THAT WAS THE WRONG SOUND. BITE, YOU JUST HEARD FROM A. DOCTOR WHO WAS PRESIDENT BIDEN'S. TOP COVID OFFICIAL, THE COVID. CZAR OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND. HE SPOKE TO US EXCLUSIVELY THIS. MORNING LAYING OUT CONONCERNS TT. HE HAD WHERE HE HAS SEEN SOME. MAJOR FLAWS IN THIS STORY LINE. GOING OUT THERE ABOUT PATIENT. ZERO WHICH WAS JUST LAID OUT.

>> Martha: GILLIAN TURNER, THANK YOU. BRINGING IN FORMER CDC DIRECTOR. DOCTOR ROBERT REDFIELD SENIOR. VISITING FELLOW FOR BIOSECURITY. AND PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AT THE. HERITAGE FOUNDATION WAS ALSO. INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH THE. COVID RESPONSE AT THE WHITE. HOUSE AND ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE. YOU WITH US. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, MARTHA. >> Martha: WHAT IS YOUR TAKE. ON THIS AND HOW CONCERNED SHOULD. WE BE? >> THE THING THAT IS MOST.

CONCERNING IS THE LACK OF. TRANSPARENCY. WE SHOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHAT. PATHOGEN THIS PATIENT HAD BY. NOW. IT WOULD BE UNUSUAL, YOU WANT TO. THINK PLAGUE B BUT IF SHE WAS A. LAB WORKER AND GOT SICK, SHE. WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN. IMMEDIATELY TREATED WITH. ANTIBIOTICS ASSUMING THAT THE. PATHOGEN PLAGUE THAT THEY ARE. WORKING ON STILL HAS ANTIBIOTICS. SUSCEPTIBILITY. THERE'S LOTS OF RESEARCH GOING. ON WHETHER MODIFYING THE.

SUSCEPTIBILITY OF BOTH ANTHRAX. PLAGUE AND OTHERS TO ANTIBIOTICS. SO THERE IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY. THAT THIS PLAGUE WAS NOT. SUSCEPTIBLE TO ANTIBIOTICS BUT. IT WOULD BE UNUSUAL FOR SOMEONE. THAT WAS IN A PLAGUE LAB WHO GOT. AN INFECTION THAT WAS DOCUMENTED. NOT TO BE TREATED WITHIN THE. FIRST 24 HOURS AND NOT TO. SURVIVE SO FIRST THING IS WHAT. DID SHE DIE FROM? WE SHOULD KNOW THAT ANSWER. THE RUSSIANS KNOW THAT ANSWER. AND THEY SHOULD SHARE THAT. ANSWER BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER. SPECIAL PATHOGENS THAT THIS LAB.

IS WORKING ON THAT COULD BE. CONSIDERED. THE SECOND THING I WOULD SAY. THAT RAISES CONCERN IS THAT IF. IT WAS PLAGUE, A PNEUMONIC. PLAGUE THAT SHE GOT, IT REALLY. ISN'T THAT INFECTIOUS. I REMIND PEOPLE IN THE. UNITED STATES THAT THE LAST CASE. THAT WE HAD OF HUMAN-TO-HUMAN. TRANSMISSISION OF PNEUMONIC PLAE. WAS IN 1924. IT'S NOT THAT EASY TO TRANSMIT. EVEN PNEUMONIC PLAGUE SO THE. FACT THAT THEY DID AN AGGRESSIVE. CASE FINDING, QUARANTINE, ALSO.

MAKES ME CONCERNED THAT MAYBE WE. DON'T KNOW THE PATHOGEN AND SO I. WOULD AGREE WITH SECRETARY RUBIO. IN SAYING IF WE COULD HAVE THE. INFORMATION WE WOULD BE BETTER. TO RESPOND. >> Martha: WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. IS UNSETTLING BECAUSE WHY WOULD. THIS YOUNG HEALTHY WOMAN DIE OF. THIS IF IT IS WHAT EVERYONE IS. TALKING ABOUT WHICH IS SOME FORM. OF PNEUMONIC PLAGUE BUT YOU SAY. THAT THEY DO GAIN A FUNCTION. RESEARCH IN THESE LABS IN RUSSIA. AND AS FAR AS WE KNOW WE KNOW.

THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS SPEAKING. WITH THEM BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW. MUCH WE CAN RELY ON THAT UNLESS. WE HAVE OUR OWN PEOPLE ON THE. GROUND REALLY GETTING. INFORMATION ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT. THIS SUBSTANCE WAS. >> IF WE COULD KNOW THE PATHOGEN. WHICH I'M SURE THE RUSSIANS. KNOW, WHAT SHE DIED FROM AND THE. OTHER ISSUE IT RAISES AND WE. HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE IS. THE REALITY THAT OUR BIOSAFETY. IN THESE HIGH SPECIAL PATHOGEN. CONTAINMENT LABS IS INADEQUATE.

IT'S INADEQUATE AND ALWAYS POSES. A RISK. CLEARLY YOU KNOW MY VIEW THAT. THE COVID PANDEMIC WAS A. CONSEQUENCE OF LAPSE IN. BIOSAFETY IN THE WUHAN. LABORATORY. THE SECOND THING IT RAISES IS. THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO BE. CONCERNED ABOUT GAIN-OF-FUNCTION. RESEARCH MAKING PATHOGENS MORE. PATHOGENIC THAN THEY REALLY ARE. AND AGAIN I'M CONCERNED ABOUT. THAT HERE TOO. >> Martha: ABSOLUTELY. THEY HAVE NOT HAD ANOTHER CASE. WHICH IS THE ENCOURAGING PART OF. THIS STORY BUT WHAT IS GOING ON. IN THESE LABS IS VERY, VERY.

TROUBLESOME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH DOCTOR. REDFIELD. ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE Y.