Russian scientists have developed vaccine against new Ebola strain

Moscow: The Russian Embassy in South Africa said that the Russian scientists have developed a vaccine against the new Ebola virus strain.

The embassy said that the Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko have made the announcement.

The embassy, citing the Russian scientists, said that the vaccine may also protect against the rare Bundibugyo strain linked to the outbreak in Congo.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO), under the International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, on May 17, determined the situation to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in light of the reported outbreaks of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has also officially declared the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo strain Ebola virus disease affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS).

Further, the WHO IHR Emergency Committee on May 22 issued temporary recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance at Points of Entry to "detect, assess, report and manage travellers with unexplained febrile illness arriving from areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection" while also "discouraging travel to areas with documented Bundibugyo virus detection".

As per the press release, countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, including South Sudan, are assessed to be at high risk of disease transmission.

Ebola disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by infection with the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola virus. It is a serious disease with a high mortality rate. At present, no vaccines or specific treatments have been approved to prevent or treat Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain.