Viruses took up the old – Newspaper Kommersant No. 233 (7434) of 12/15/2022

Russia is increasingly covered by a wave of influenza and SARS: in the Rostov region, for example, the epidemiological threshold has been exceeded by 123% since the beginning of December, in St. Petersburg – by almost 80%, in the Sverdlovsk region – by 70%. Swine flu is the leader among seasonal viruses, announced Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko. In the Moscow Department of Health, Kommersant clarified that “distant descendants” of the virus that caused a large-scale epidemic in 2009 are now circulating in the population. Infectionists do not see anything surprising in this: swine flu every epidemic season is fighting for leadership with another influenza virus – H3N2. Experts explain the current surge by the need for Russians to “pay off their immune debt” for two years of anti-COVID measures, and promise that after a natural “pro-epidemic” next season, a smoother course of seasonal SARS can be expected.

The increase in flu cases in Russia – by 35% per week – was so rapid that President Vladimir Putin devoted a large part of his meeting with government members on Wednesday to it. The President admitted that he had been vaccinated against the flu himself, urging his colleagues to follow suit. Note, according to the sanitary service, 74 million Russians have been vaccinated this year – almost 52% of the country’s population, while it was planned to vaccinate at least 60% of citizens by December 1.

The head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, announced the end of the vaccination campaign in the country, emphasizing that it is “too late” to get vaccinated now.

Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko reported to the President that the share of influenza among SARS exceeded 50%, and among the sick children there is a high percentage of school-age children: the age group from 7 to 14 years old accounts for 23% and preschool children – more than 18%. The minister added that the most common this season in Russia was H1N1 – swine flu. It is especially severe in pregnant women, people with diabetes, and people over 60 years of age.

The minister’s data was confirmed to Kommersant in the Moscow Health Department. They specified that Moscow regularly began to use whole genome sequencing technologies during the spread of coronavirus infection in August 2021. “Currently, we are doing such work to decipher the entire genome of the influenza virus. The data show that new genetic lines of influenza A (H1N1, or swine flu) are now circulating in the population, that is, its “distant descendants,” the Moscow Department of Health reported. The press service of the department emphasized that the isolated strains, although fundamentally different from the genome of the virus circulating during the 2009 epidemic, do not pose a greater danger. The Moscow mayor’s office did not report incidence statistics, but assured that all city medical organizations, both outpatient and inpatient levels, “are provided with the necessary resources to help the sick.”

In the Rostov region over the past week, 30 thousand cases were detected (72.5 per 10 thousand population), which is 123.8% higher than the established epidemiological threshold, the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor reported. At the same time, 22,000 cases were detected in the region last week, and 18,000 two weeks ago. In this regard, Donetsk residents are advised to wear masks in public places.

In the Sverdlovsk region for the week from December 5 to December 11, almost 59 thousand people fell ill with ARVI, of which 29.44 thousand were in Yekaterinburg. The average long-term level, according to the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor, is exceeded by 70.5%. In the structure of morbidity, 56% are children. In Yekaterinburg, 109 classes in 32 schools went into quarantine for SARS, as of December 12.

In Krasnodar, the weekly epidemiological threshold for ARI and influenza in general was exceeded by 30.7% for all age groups, and by 66.1% among the adult population. In preschool and educational institutions, “morning filters” with mandatory thermometry continue to be carried out, and if 20% of children are absent from the class, the educational process for their classmates is transferred to a remote mode – this is a new recommendation of the federal Rospotrebnadzor.

Petersburg Rospotrebnadzor also spoke about the “morning filters”, during which children and workers with symptoms of SARS are identified “for their removal from the educational process”. The incidence of influenza and SARS in the city over the past week has exceeded the weekly epidemic threshold by 76.7%, for children – by 71.1%. At the same time, 55% of the total number of cases are children. The number of patients with signs of moderate and severe forms of acute respiratory infection requiring hospitalization has also increased. Because of this, from December 14, the sanitary authorities introduced a number of restrictions: a mask regimen in hospitals, clinics and social service institutions, a ban on visiting patients, with the exception of severe and bedridden patients, and a ban on planned hospitalization of children.

In the Tyumen region from December 5 to December 11, ARVI was confirmed in 32.8 thousand people – 80% more than a week earlier. In particular, the increase in the incidence among schoolchildren aged 7-14 is 83%, among adults – 91%. Against the backdrop of a worsening epidemiological situation, all schools in Tyumen have been transferred to distance learning, and additional education institutions must either switch to remote mode or suspend work.

Over the past week, 28,836 cases of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza have been registered in Tatarstan, which is 39% more than in the same previous period.

In the Chelyabinsk region, according to the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor, the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections is two times higher than the epidemic threshold: among adults by 2.5 times, among schoolchildren – by 1.8, children from three to six years old – by 1.4 times. Compared to the previous week, the incidence rate increased by 31.9% – 172.2 cases of infection were registered per 10,000 people.

Associate Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases of RUDN University Sergey Voznesensky notes that, according to official data, in Russia as a whole, the epidemiological threshold for influenza and SARS in the first week of December was exceeded by 70%, and this, according to him, is “a lot”. The infectious disease specialist explains this rapid growth primarily by quarantine measures and conscientious observance by citizens of personal protective measures during the two years of the pandemic. Associate Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases in Children, Russian National Research Medical University. N. I. Pirogova Ivan Konovalov calls the situation when people have not encountered infectious pathogens during the season of their circulation for a long time, “the principle of immune debt”.

Another reason for the rapid increase in the incidence, according to Sergei Voznesensky, may be the flu itself: last year its other variant, H3N2, prevailed, and the majority simply did not develop immunity to the current leader, H1N1. He explained that these two influenza A viruses have been competing with each other since the 1970s, and that swine is spreading more actively this year, it is not surprising.

Finally, according to Mr. Voznesensky, last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, influenza vaccination was significantly reduced by 20%, and this also affects the overall picture.

According to Ivan Konovalov, if the natural “pro-epidemic” passes, then next season we can expect a smoother course of seasonal SARS.

Natalia Kostarnova; regional corset “Kommersant”