Swine flu instead of a coronavirus pandemic. What to fear and how not to get sick

Irina Mishina

According to Rospotrebnadzor, the incidence of SARS and influenza in the country increased by more than 35% over the week. The proportion of the influenza virus continues to increase and is already 52.5%. Hospitalization of patients with influenza ranked first among severe acute respiratory infections in Russia. At the same time, influenza A (H1N1) viruses, which are popularly called swine flu, predominate in the population.

Children and youth at risk

At a meeting with the president and government, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova , suggested that all people with symptoms of SARS be tested for influenza, just as it was when testing for covid. The mask regime is also gradually returning to Russian cities. Since December 14, it has been introduced, for example, in St. Petersburg. Moscow polyclinics now also require masks and temperature measurements at the entrance.

The current outbreak of swine flu, better known as H1N1, has two features. Firstly, children are massively ill with them. Secondly, the disease develops at lightning speed, and not gradually: immediately - a high temperature of up to 39 and above, often - diarrhea and vomiting.

“Influenza starts with a rise in temperature to very high values, 39 and above. There is no cough and runny nose at the beginning, but the eyes are often very watery. This is perhaps the main difference between swine flu and coronavirus, in which the disease develops gradually. Swine flu mainly affects young people and children, the older generation gets sick less. This is due to the fact that among the older generation there are more people who have already had swine flu, for example, during the 2009 epidemic or earlier. They have acquired immunity accordingly. Immunity against coronavirus does not apply to swine flu. Anyone who has been ill with covid can also get swine flu, ”explained NI, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Moscow Medical Academy, Chairman of the Moscow City Scientific Society of Therapists Pavel Vorobyov

Another virus from China?

Swine flu is one of the most widespread acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) that humanity has faced in the 21st century. The disease got its name because of the genetic similarity with the causative agent of influenza infection that affects pigs. This strain originated in Mexico and quickly spread to the southwestern United States. Therefore, swine flu was first called "Mexican" or "California". Over time, the epidemic swept the entire globe and ended in August 2010.

Swine flu is an infection that was originally transmitted to humans from pigs, and then circulating in the human population. The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets and household contact. There are different versions about its origin.

“Swine flu came to us from China. It was transmitted from animals to humans. It was brought to us by tourists, planes and trains. I'll tell you a secret, all influenza viruses in the 20th century came to us from China, ”says Pavel Vorobyov , Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Moscow Medical Academy .

“Swine flu came to us from Southeast Asia. Pigs did not necessarily get sick; birds could also become a source of infection. In Southeast Asia, pig farms were the source of infection. The flu is a very serious illness indeed. In the 70s, the flu epidemic swept Hong Kong, the "Spanish flu" claimed many victims in the 20th century, - says Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, molecular biologist and virologist Petr Chumakov. - You cannot catch the A/H1N1 virus by eating pork. It is transmitted by breathing air containing particles of contaminated saliva and nasal secretions, or by contact with contaminated surfaces. In general, the swine flu virus is transmitted from person to person, but you can also get infected from a sick pig. The strain of the virus circulating among animals is usually slightly infectious to humans. In the process of mutation, the virus undergoes changes and adapts to human cells, so it becomes highly contagious and is easily transmitted from person to person.”

How to avoid death from the flu

The current situation is exacerbated by the fact that during the coronavirus pandemic, almost no one got sick with the flu, so the herd immunity to the flu has become much weaker. Children who were born during these years did not encounter the flu virus at all, so the risk for them to get sick increases.

Many people are now talking about the so-called "tridemic" - a combination of coronavirus, seasonal SARS and the H1N1 swine flu strain. Is it really a total danger of the spread of all three viruses at the same time?

According to scientists, it is impossible to get sick with all three viruses at once. It means that different people suffer from different diseases. Moreover, the proportion of coronavirus infection is now lower than the number of cases of the H1N1 influenza strain (swine flu).

At the beginning of the epidemic, doctors recorded a high level of complications and mortality from swine flu. But soon the human immune system began to quickly recognize the virus and quickly fight it. But even now we can talk about one danger posed by swine flu. “Swine flu has one serious consequence: it is a complication in the form of thrombosis. It is associated with a blood clotting syndrome that can lead to microthrombosis. It's happening at lightning speed! These are sudden deaths, a person burns out literally in a day. How to avoid it? Very simply, it is necessary to immediately start taking anticoagulants at the end of the first week of the course of the disease. If you take them for a month, the risk of thrombosis will decrease, ”says Pavel Vorobyov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor at the Moscow Medical Academy.

There is another way to avoid getting sick with swine flu - vaccination. But here the opinions of scientists differ. Studies on the effectiveness of influenza vaccination show mixed results. On their basis, scientists cannot give unambiguous recommendations.