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- For health reasons: The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections has been increasing in Russia since the end of summer
For health reasons: The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections has been increasing in Russia since the end of summer
The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections has increased in 13 regions since the end of July and the beginning of August 2025, Izvestia estimates. Respiratory infections are reported in children and adults. This is due to temperature fluctuations and increased crowding of people returning from vacations, experts say.According to Rospotrebnadzor, there has been a low incidence of acute respiratory viral infections in Russia in recent months. At the same time, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased slightly over the past month, but these figures are significantly lower than in 2024, the ministry noted. The information about what and in which regions Russians suffer from is in the Izvestia article.
Where are SARS infected and what are they?
In Russia, the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections has increased in 13 regions since the end of July and the beginning of August, Izvestia found out after analyzing reports from regional departments of Rospotrebnadzor and representatives of the Ministry of Health. These regions include, for example, Saratov, Kemerovo, Penza, Pskov, Vladimir, Amur, Novosibirsk and Leningrad Regions, as well as the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and the Trans-Baikal Territory.
The increase in the incidence in August is due to an increase in population crowding, as people return from vacations, and temperature fluctuations, experts explain.
For example, in the Kemerovo region, according to the regional Rospotrebnadzor, 5,000 cases of acute respiratory viral infections were registered, which is 3.4% higher than the previous week.
"On the basis of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the region, clinical material from 187 patients with acute respiratory viral infections was examined. In all cases, the diseases are not caused by influenza viruses," the local agency reported.
In the Saratov region, more than 4.9 thousand cases of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza were recorded in the week from August 4 to August 10, which is almost 3% higher than last week, head of the department Vladimir Dudakov said at a briefing on August 14 at the Ministry of Health of the region. Also, according to him, the number of people hospitalized with these diseases has increased.
—185 people were hospitalized last week, which is 2.7% more than in the week from July 28 to August 3, when 180 residents of the region were hospitalized," he said.
Vladimir Dudakov also noted that a flu vaccination campaign had begun in the region, and as of August 13, almost 24,000 people had been vaccinated there.
— Vaccination coverage of the population was 1%. It is necessary to gradually increase the number of vaccinations in order to prevent the outbreak of the epidemic," added the Minister of Health of the Saratov region.
In the Amur region, according to the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor, the incidence rate of acute respiratory viral infections last week was almost 25% higher than the previous week and 4.9% higher than the level of the same period in 2024. Also, in the region, compared with the period from July 28 to August 3, the incidence of community—acquired pneumonia increased by 7.5% and COVID-19 increased by almost 42%.
From August 4 to August 10, more than 1.1 thousand cases of acute respiratory viral infections were detected in the Pskov region. The proportion of children under 14 years of age among the sick is 55.1%, the local department of Rospotrebnadzor reported.
"During the week, 10 people were hospitalized with symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections," they added.
Last week, 879 cases of acute respiratory viral infections were registered in the Penza Region, which is almost 10% higher than a week earlier, the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor noted. Of all the cases, 32% were children, the ministry said.
In the Vladimir region, the incidence rate increased by 2.4% last week compared to the previous one. From August 4 to August 10, more than 3.6 thousand people applied to hospitals in the region with signs of acute respiratory viral infections.
"Compared to the previous week, an increase in morbidity was registered in all age groups, except for children from 0 to 2 years old," the Department of Rospotrebnadzor in the region noted. The Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the region conducted 344 studies last week. Parainfluenza dominates. No influenza viruses have been identified."
In the Voronezh Region, the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the region received 28 more emergency notifications for COVID-19 cases last week compared to the previous one — 83 versus 55.
Rospotrebnadzor told Izvestia that in recent months there has been a low incidence of acute respiratory viral infections in Russia. At the same time, the number of people infected with COVID-19, according to the agency, has increased slightly over the past month. But the incidence rates are significantly lower than last year, they stressed.
When is the incidence expected to rise
A steady increase in the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections will begin in the fall, when it gets significantly colder and classes in kindergartens, schools, and universities will resume, and everyone will return from vacation, Andrei Pozdnyakov, an infectious disease specialist at Invitro-Siberia, told Izvestia. According to him, the first wave of cases will last until December-January, the second is expected in the spring. Elena Malinnikova, head of the Department of Virology at the Russian Ministry of Health, agreed with him, but noted that acute respiratory viral infections and influenza do not disappear in the summer.
"In summer, the population has a stronger immune system, so they get sick less often," she added.
Andrey Pozdnyakov reminded about the importance of flu vaccination. According to him, everyone needs to be vaccinated, especially people with immunodeficiency conditions, the elderly and children, and it is best to do this in September and early October. Elena Malinnikova added that in 2025-2026, as in the past, swine flu and Hong Kong flu will prevail.
"There are fears that the Hong Kong flu may change, overcome the interspecific barrier and cause an epidemic, as was the case with swine flu in 2009, but so far there are no such prerequisites," she added.
Elena Malinnikova also stressed that it is important to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
— New variants of coronavirus infection are now emerging, but they differ little from the previous ones, there are no prerequisites that a severe form of the disease will develop. But prevention is extremely important," she said.
It is expected that the COVID-19 strains Nimbus, Omicron and Flirt will be most relevant in the epidemic season-2025/26, added Maria Uyanaeva, chief physician of the UNI Clinic Medical Center.
Did the doctor emphasize that SARS, influenza, and COVID-19 have similar symptoms? and the only reliable way to distinguish them, according to her, is laboratory diagnostics — rapid tests or PCR.
The need to identify what a person is sick with is of practical importance, noted Andrey Pozdnyakov.
— Unlike many other respiratory infections, there is etiotropic therapy for influenza — antiviral drugs that act only on the influenza virus, but at the same time they are effective and well stop the course of the disease and prevent the development of complications, — he stressed.
According to the expert, the subtlety is that such drugs need to be taken in the first two to three days after the onset of the disease, as these drugs no longer work. Therefore, according to him, it is better not to delay the diagnosis.
Rospotrebnadzor told Izvestia that preparations for the SARS season have already begun: the decree of the chief state sanitary doctor of Russia on preventive measures for the upcoming epidemic season of influenza, acute respiratory viral infections and COVID-19 has been published. It provides a list of measures that will be implemented in the regions.
Among the recommendations are ensuring the readiness of hospitals and the laboratory network to work during the epidemic rise in the incidence of influenza, SARS and COVID—19, improving the quality of differential diagnosis of respiratory infections, taking measures to prevent the spread of respiratory viral infections in hospitals, as well as conducting an inoculation campaign with up to 60% of Russians vaccinated, the ministry said.
In order to prevent acute respiratory viral infections, Rospotrebnadzor also recommended washing hands more often, ventilating rooms, disinfecting work surfaces and gadgets, avoiding contact with people who have signs of the disease, and not self-medicating.
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