Russian Scientists Said Working on Three Ebola Vaccines

Russian scientists are working on three potential Ebola vaccines and plan to introduce them within the next six months, health minister Veronika Skvortsova said, adding that one of the vaccines is "already ready for clinical trials."

In an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel, Skvortsova said one of the vaccines is based on a strain of Ebola, the other two created through genetic engineering.

Russian virologists also are said to have created an anti-virus drug shown to be effective in curing Ebola-related diseases.

In Russia, "it's impossible to contract Ebola virus," Skvortsova said in the interview. According to the minister, the country in July upgraded an existing protection plan against the virus. She said "sanitary inspections" of 7,500 flights per month are being carried out, with everyone arriving from West Africa placed "under special control."

The minister added that 71 of Russia's airports now have thermal cameras to detect the first signs of the virus.