Russia has invented a supposed widespread epidemic of Bubonic Plague in the United States to advise citizens to stay home during the December holiday period.
Very little happens in Russia without political overtones, and it does not seem coincidental that Russia decided to invent an epidemic and single out the United States while not mentioning security concerns and the wave of terror in Israel.
More than one million former Soviet Bloc residents live in Israel and frequently are visited by relatives and friends.
Russia and the Obama administration are in a mini-Cold War, even colder since Vladimir Putin filled the power vacuum in Syria and sent in Russian planes and troops to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) and also to take the opportunity to bomb rebels opposing its puppet Basher al-Assad.
On the other hand, Israel and Russia have been coordinating remarkably over the combat that touches the northern border at the Golan Heights.
The country’s consumer protection agency stated that 10-15 cases of Bubonic Plague have been reported in the United States this year. That is true, but it is far from an epidemic. Although the average number of cases is six a year, there were 17 cases in 2006.
Bubonic Plague usually strikes in areas far from the path of tourists. Cases this year have been reported in rural and semi-rural areas in eight states, mostly in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. Georgia, Utah, Oregon, California and Michigan each have reported one case, but two of the victims were infected in Colorado and California.
Although it can strike at any time, the disuse usually occurs in from late spring to early fall and not in the dead of winter. The last reported case was in October in Oregon.
Moscow also warned travelers of security risks in Egypt, Thailand, and Turkey, favorite vacation spots for Russians, according to the Associated Press.
Russia also advised everyone to spend their money at home instead of taking a risk to their health by traveling to Europe, where it said Syrian refugees have brought infections with them.