Russia's experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus successfully passed pre-clinical trials and is ready for use, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova announced on Friday.
Skvortsova said the ministry was waiting for the vaccine to be certified, "though in principle we are ready to use it now, just as the Americans are using their [vaccine,]" TASS reported.
The Russian team responsible for researching the deadly virus to create the vaccine includes employees of the Ivanov Institute under the Russian Health Ministry and an employee from Russia's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, Skvortsova said in a separate report in late August.
Africa has seen its worst Ebola outbreak in history this year, prompting fears that the virus could spread to mainland Europe for the first time. Fatalities from the virus have been recorded in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, the BBC reports.
According to data from the World Health Organization, the virus has claimed 1,900 victims since March.
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