Russia’s consumer protection agency said Wednesday that it has introduced enhanced health screenings for travelers arriving from African countries hit by a deadly Ebola outbreak.
“Sanitary and quarantine screening has been stepped up at checkpoints along Russia’s state border to monitor the health of citizens arriving from high-risk regions,” Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement.
“As of today, there are zero risks of Ebola spreading within Russian territory,” the agency said, adding that there have been no imported cases of the virus recorded in Russia since the outbreak began in mid-May.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” after hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two deaths in neighboring Uganda.
The African Union’s health agency warned this week that nearly 1,000 cases have been confirmed so far, putting more countries on the continent at immediate risk.
