A sharp spread of the A / H1N1 influenza virus is expected this fall and winter. This was reported at the 59th session of the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is now taking place in the Danish capital. Russia turned out to be one of the few countries where the flu situation is quite good. The head of the Russian delegation, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation, Veronika Skvortsova, said that 319 cases of influenza were registered in the country, and all of them were imported. However, doctors are planning to fight the virus very seriously.
Everyone for vaccination!
On Russian territory there are 2 WHO centers that monitor the situation. Doctors have created 4 types of influenza vaccine: a live vaccine and 3 variants of an inactivated vaccine using various technologies. Clinical trials of the live vaccine began on September 10, and clinical trials of the other three options will begin at the end of the month. By January, up to 40 million doses of vaccine will be produced using 4 technologies, and after that, on average, another 12-15 million doses will be produced monthly.
At the first stage, personnel who serve a large number of people will be vaccinated: doctors, teachers, customs officers, and the military. Further, the entire population concerned.
The deputy minister has no doubts that the vaccine is effective. According to her, Russian virologists analyzed all domestic antiviral drugs and identified several substances, the effectiveness of which against this virus strain is comparable to the effectiveness of the international standard “Tamiflu”, and their combinations significantly exceed its effectiveness. Moreover, they can be used not only in the first 2 days of the disease, but also during the entire period of infection – 7 days. Only in Russia now there are drugs with virtually zero toxicity that can be used by pregnant women and newborns.
“At present, the second phase of clinical trials of a new Russian antiviral drug, an analogue of Tamiflu, which also surpasses it in efficiency and non-toxicity, is nearing completion,” Skvortsova emphasized. “The data about him have been sent to WHO, and we hope that the organization will take into account the Russian experience and will contribute to the accelerated registration of our vaccines.”
A source: