Flu hunt: how to address the growing epidemic of the virus
The health Ministry announced new vaccines against infectious diseases.
Wednesday, January 30, at the meeting with members of the government, the Minister of health Veronika Skvortsova reported on a significant excess of an epidemiological threshold incidence of influenza in the 23 regions of the country. The epidemic was waiting. If last year the Ministry of health did not guess the vaccine didn’t match the circulating strain of influenza, this time I got to the point. There is nothing surprising — the virus is constantly just “flirting” with the doctors, changing modification. But the struggle continues. About the epidemiological situation in the country, measures and ways of preventing virus — see the article “Izvestia”.
Help is on the way
According to forecasts, the global epidemic this year will be of medium intensity and eventually subside by April. Already recognized type — this is mostly the strain of influenza virus A (H1N1, known as swine flu).
According to statistics of the Ministry of health weekly epidemiological boundary is exceeded 26.5%, but the intensity of the virus are quite low, comparable with conventional indicators this time of year.
The increased incidence will be in the next week, but epidemiologists hope that serious problems can be avoided, not only now but in the future: Russia has developed three drug universal influenza vaccines, two of which have already passed the first test phase.
“Two of our science centre of the Ministry of health has developed in 2018 three drugs a universal vaccine against influenza, especially pandemic influenza, which are directed against the conservative epitope of influenza not changing when changing the strain. And two drugs already finished the first phase of clinical trials with very good results, highly effective. And it is a safe vaccine” — said the Minister of health of Russia Veronika Skvortsova at the meeting with the President.
According to the Minister, now our country has built an Arsenal of vaccines that will protect patients in any of the antigenic drift of influenza virus in case of pandemic strains, including avian flu. One drug already registered, the second plan to register closer to the fall.