Donetsk, Dec 21 - DAN. More than 50,000 residents of the Donetsk People’s Republic have taken a flu vaccine, the Republic’s Healthcare Ministry told the Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.
“In 2021, more than 50,000 DPR residents were vaccinated against flu,” the Ministry said.
The DPR launched immunization against flu in November. Up to 100,000 people can get the flu vaccine for free. A batch of the vaccine had been delivered to the DPR as part of humanitarian assistance from Russia.
Influenza or flu is an acute infectious disease of upper respiratory tract whose symptoms include intoxication and fever. It is caused by RNA viruses of groups A, B and C. The A-type flu is divided into various subtypes (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H7N9). The letters designate the types of two proteins on the surface of the virus: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), and the number shows the opening sequence. The virus uses the proteins to attach itself to human body cells.
Earlier, the DPR healthcare Ministry said that a mixed circulation of type A and B viruses was possible in the Republic and that the prevailing H1N1 strain, like COVID-19, could lead to severe complications.*jk