MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian universities have extended the summer break for the students from West African countries hit by the Ebola virus outbreak, Deputy Education and Science Minister Veniamin Kaganov told the press Monday.
“For the students from these [Ebola-hit] countries, who are studying here [in Russia], we have extended the vacations, hence they will come [to Russia] later. I hope the main problems will disappear by that time. For now, the vacation has been extended for two months,” Kaganov said.
Russia’s health authorities are monitoring all potential carriers of the Ebola virus arriving to Russia, including students from the African nations, the official added. The West African students’ universities and health authorities are constantly in touch, he stressed.
Kaganov also said there are about 7,000 students from Africa studying in universities across Russia.
There is currently no officially approved medication for the Ebola virus, but several countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan are working on vaccines.
The current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has killed 1,552 people out of more than 3,000 infection cases, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria are among the countries most affected by the epidemic. The WHO also claims Ebola could affect up to 20,000 people before it is brought after control.
