Vladimir Putin claims Russia has created a vaccine for EBOLA

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has announced his country has developed a vaccine for the deadly Ebola virus.

 

Putin has claimed Russia has developed an Ebola vaccine

 

Vladimir Putin has shocked health officials across the world by declaring Russian scientists have developed an Ebola vaccine “more effective and stronger” than other drugs currently used.

Putin told officials in a government meeting, according to local reports. 

Putin said: “We have good news. We have registered a medicine for the Ebola fever, which after the relevant tests, has proven to have a high effectiveness, higher than those drugs which until now have been used in the world.”

 

The Russian president reportedly said the vaccine was "more effective and stronger"

 

The bold claims by the Russian President were received with considerable scepticism by health experts across the globe. 

One researcher described the claim of a Russian Ebola vaccine as “nonsensical.”

The Ebola outbreak - which has seen 11,000 people die in West Africa - sparked a vaccine race.

Today, it was confirmed the condition was no longer classed as an epidemic, but UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned there could be another outbreak within months.

 

Many health experts have refuted Putin's claims

 

At present, there is one Ebola vaccine demonstrating a very high success rate in clinical trials with the U.S. company Merck.

Despite this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) do not currently recognise any Ebola vaccine or treatment.

Last October, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova announced Russia would be producing three vaccines within six months and that one was ready for a clinical trial.

  

Last October, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova announced Russia would make three vaccines

Ira Longini, a scientist who worked on developing a vaccine with Merck, was present when Russian scientists present their findings to the WHO.

She told ABC news: “They were always very sketchy. They never provided any data at all. Just concepts. It was just the beginning of their study.”

She added the Russian efforts had been so preliminary that it was impossible to have even considered using them in the WHO’s Ebola vaccine trial in Guinea.