Russian doctors have developed an experimental vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus that has raged through the African continent in the past months killing dozens in its wake, RIA Novosti cited Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova as saying on Tuesday.
The Russian team responsible for researching the deadly virus — including employees of the Ivanov Institute under the Russian Health Ministry and an employee from Russia's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor — have just returned from Guinea, the report said.
We know the pathogen and its characteristics, and now we have an experimental vaccine that has passed pre-clinical trials with a good result," Skvortsova was cited by RIA Novosti as saying.
Africa has seen its worst Ebola outbreak in history this year, with the epidemic spreading to five countries on the continent: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea and most recently the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to that country's health minister.
The epidemic has triggered panic across the globe amid concerns that the virus would make it to Europe for the first time ever.
As of Aug. 22, however, no new cases of Ebola have been confirmed outside of the four confirmed affected countries, despite various scares, the World Health Organization, or WHO, said.
There are currently 2,615 registered cases of Ebola in 2014, according to data from the World Health Organization. Of those cases, 1,427 were fatal.
Further research will be conducted on the vaccine developed by the Russian scientists, Skvortsova said, adding she hoped it would be successful.
See also:
Russia Warns of Ebola Outbreak to Citizens Traveling to West Africa
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