VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) – Several dozen swine flu (H1N1) cases have been registered across Russia, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg, since the end of 2015, some of them were fatal.
"As of January 22, 21 cases of H1N1 influenza have been registered in the [Kamchatka] territory. There are 18 adults and 3 children among the infected," acting regional health minister Marina Volkova said on Friday, adding that none of the affected individuals had been vaccinated.
Swine flu (subtype H1N1 of influenza A virus) is common among pigs. Transmission of the virus from animals to humans is not common and does not always lead to human flu, often resulting instead in the production of antibodies only. However, when it does develop in humans, it carries a higher risk of fatality than the common flu.
The head of Russia’s public health and consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova said on Wednesday that Russian specialists were ready to counter a possible swine flu outbreak.
According to Rospotrebnadzor, 147 people in Moscow were confirmed as infected with the swine flu virus as of Wednesday.
