Africa Appreciates Russia's Help in Fight Against Ebola

African countries are grateful to Russia for the assistance it provided during the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa, African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Dlamini-Zuma is making an official visit to Russia form April 19-21. On Wednesday, the African official held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Together with Russia, African nations can fight against such epidemics more effectively, Dlamini-Zuma said at a meeting with Russia's Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko.

The most recent Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in Guinea and later spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. So far, the virus has claimed the lives of over 11,000 people, according to WHO estimates.

In February, Russia presented two Ebola vaccines to the public at the UN Office in Geneva, developed by experts from the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.