First live flu vaccine tests successfully launched in St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG. September 16. KAZINFORM /Yelena Myagkova/ The first 30 volunteers who received the live swine flu vaccine in St. Petersburg on September, 10 feel well; the Influenza Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences said.
All volunteers will spend about a week in hospital, and will later have to make several visits to the research institute. The volunteers are paid reimbursement amounted to RUB 10 thousand. As a whole 150 volunteers will take part in the clinical tests.
The tests including inactivated vaccine ones to be launched after September 18, should be completed in November. Mass vaccination of the population against the flu swine is expected to start in December.
RUB 10-20 mln will be allocated from the Federal budget to vaccinate all comers. Children and school students will be vaccinated in the first instance.
As of August 26, 211 people have been diagnosed with swine flu in Russia. There have been no reported deaths, while more than 3,200 people have died from swine flu worldwide, according to WHO data from last week.