Updated 6:13 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will tighten screening of passengers in its airports amid the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and will install special equipment for the purpose soon, the government press service said Friday.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev discussed the Ebola outbreak with Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova, chief sanitary official Anna Popova and Deputy Government Chief of Staff Nelli Naigovzina.
The discussion zeroed in on Ebola prevention and protection mechanisms that could help keep the deadly disease away. This includes training programs for healthcare workers, tougher border controls and medical treatment. Russian authorities said the country is working to develop an Ebola vaccine.
This statement came a week after five US airports were told to step up screening controls for passengers coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – the three worst-hit West African countries – following the tragic death of America's first Ebola patient. Temperatures are reportedly taken with the help of a hand-held device.
Canada was the next to tighten screening procedures for inbound flights after the Health Ministry announced its plans to place quarantine officers at six airports across the country.
The Ebola epidemic currently taking place in West Africa broke out in Guinea and later spread across Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal.
The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. Its symptoms include high fever, diarrhea and vomiting, among others. The incubation period is two to 21 days.
