On September 14, Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, announced that Russia has strengthened sanitary controls at its borders due to the spread of Ebola.
In an interview, Popova thanked border guards for their swift response and meticulous monitoring of arrivals, including those transiting from countries with infection risks. “We have strengthened border controls,” she stated.
Popova noted that experts monitor the health status of individuals entering Russia. If symptoms such as fever or signs of deterioration are detected, immediate hospitalization occurs.
The head of Rospotrebnadzor also reported that specialists have been assisting Uganda since the initial outbreak days, a country bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where Ebola conditions are most severe. Additionally, African specialists received Russian diagnostic test systems for detecting the rare Bundibugio strain of Ebola. According to Popova, Rospotrebnadzor shares its domestic developments with friendly nations.
The German Ebola vaccine supplied to the Democratic Republic of the Congo does not protect against the Bundibugio strain, and Russia’s equivalent is not deployed in the affected region due to political circumstances.
Julien Harneis, a representative of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the DRC, stated on August 20 that the Ebola epidemic was rapidly expanding in the DRC. He noted that half of the approximately 2,500 deaths from the virus over the past 20 days occurred there and emphasized that the outbreak takes place in a region affected by decades-long armed conflict, resulting in critical humanitarian needs.
