MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) -- Russia's chief doctor Gennady Onishchenko said Tuesday that a more dangerous strain of the bird flu virus could appear in the country by spring when birds were migrating from Southeast Asia, China, Africa and the Mediterranean.
"New strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, including those more pathogenic to humans, are quite likely to be brought to Russia in spring," Onishchenko told parliament.
He said West Siberia was volatile to getting a new, more deadly strain, but that no bird flu virus strains had mutated in Russia that could be passed from human to human yet.
Earlier, Director of the Institute of Virology Dmitry Lvov called on medical insitutions to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic. He said Russia must immediately start developing vaccines against bird flu on the basis of obtained strains of the virus.
"We must create a strategic reserve of anti-viral drugs, such as Remantadin and Arbidol," he said, adding that these drugs proved to be efficient against bird flu.
According to Director of the Influenza Research Institute Oleg Kiselyov, Russia has had a bird flu vaccine since May 2005, but it has yet to be tested.
"The Influenza Institute has obtained confirmed strains of a vaccine against avian influenza," he said. "We have actually had a vaccine since May."
The tests of the bird flu vaccine will start in November 2005, the expert said Tuesday.
"Twenty volunteers will participate in the tests that will be conducted in November-December 2005," he said. "If the results are successful, we will be able to start selling the vaccine as early as March 2006."
