MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Russian scientists that helped fight with the Ebola virus in Africa have successfully fulfilled their mission, Russia’s Rospotrebnadzor consumer rights watchdog head Anna Popova told Rossiya 24 TV channel in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.
"We have achieved great scientific results, and we are proud of that. Our scientists have for the first time been sent by the country’s leadership to an epidemic hotbed abroad. They achieved success, and this is a global achievement. We have achieved certain scientific results, very interesting results. These results are published in science journals and provide many interesting findings," Popova said.
"Today is the day when West Africa announces that it is free from the epidemic. That means success," she added. The World Health Organization (WHO) is planning to announce victory over the Ebola virus on December 30. "We are looking forward to this announcement," she stressed.
The death toll from West Africa’s Ebola outbreak has passed 10,000 people while the number of those infected has neared 30,000 people. In beginning of the current year, the Russian government allocated from the budget $8 million for international humanitarian actions in fighting the disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
WHO describes Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever) as "a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%." Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. The incubation period is 2 to 21 days. There is no known cure or vaccine for the disease. The only treatment offered is ‘supportive intensive care."