MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - The Ebola virus may pose a major threat to the UK as it rages on in West Africa, Sir Mark Walport, the UK’s Chief Scientific Advisor, said in an interview with The Telegraph.
“The most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have emerged from other species. They are a potential major threat to us. Emerging infectious disease is a global grand challenge,” Walport was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
The statement comes in light of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Hundreds of people have died from the illness in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria.
According to ITV, Dr. Brian McCloskey said the continuing increase in reported cases of the disease could be cause for concern.
However, the doctor added that the risk of UK travelers catching a virus was not high, as direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of the diseased is required to be infected.
Health professionals and border staff are urged to be vigilant in their search for potential signs of the virus, in order to prevent it from spreading.
According to the chief infection disease specialist of the Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency, Vladimir Nikiforov, Russia should not fear an outbreak of the virus in its borders, as Russians have an extremely low chance of being in direct contact with the infected.
The current outbreak began in southern Guinea in February and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. Most border crossings in Liberia have been closed, and Nigeria is on red alert.
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Symptoms begin with a fever, muscle pain and a sore throat, and then escalate to vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding. The incubation period can be up to 21 days. No vaccine currently exists.
