ADDIS ABABA, July 7. /TASS/. Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf thanked Russia for its assistance in fighting the latest Ebola virus outbreak on the continent.

"We appreciate Russia’s assistance regarding PCR testing equipment," he said at a press conference in the wake of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The current Ebola outbreak began in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda on May 15. The epicenter is located in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The number of confirmed deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 506.