Risk of Ebola Infection 'Very Low' in Russia: Health Minister

MOSCOW, December 4 (Sputnik) — The danger and risk of the deadly Ebola virus appearing in Russia is minimal, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said Thursday.

"[The danger of the viral infection in Russia] is the same as it always has been. We consider it to be very low. All of the preventative measures that have been taken are continuing to be used," Skvortsova told journalists.

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. There is no officially approved medication to treat the virus, several countries are working on trial vaccines, Russia among them. According to Skvortsova, four vaccines against the Ebola virus are currently being developed by Russian scientists, one of them is already undergoing clinical tests.

The current Ebola epidemic started in southern Guinea in December 2013 and soon spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. The last two countries recently have been declared free of the virus. According to the latest data released by the WHO on December 3, the number of confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola has exceeded 17,000 with more than 6,000 killed by the virus.