Russian health ministry expert calls flu situation stable as vaccines fully updated
In short
Dmitry Lioznov, director of the Health Ministry’s Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, said the flu situation in Russia is stable. He said all three components of this season’s flu vaccines have been changed, indicating new virus strains to which there is no immunity, and urged vaccination for vulnerable groups. Rospotrebnadzor earlier reported that 5.3 million people in Russian regions have been vaccinated, Interfax said, and that A(H1N1) causes a more severe course among risk groups.
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The epidemiological situation for flu in Russia is assessed as stable, Dmitry Lioznov, director of the Health Ministry’s Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, said. “В настоящее время ситуация по гриппу в стране стабильная,” he told journalists, according to Interfax. RIA Novosti and TASS reported the same assessment in their headlines, with TASS noting that the institute head said vaccines had been fully updated. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lioznov said flu vaccines for the current season have been completely updated, with all three components changed, which he said indicates the arrival of new flu virus strains for which the population has no immunity. He said that justified vaccination, above all for the most vulnerable groups: children, pregnant women, elderly people and people with chronic diseases. Immunity after vaccination forms in no less than 14 days, he added. [ 3 ]
All Russian vaccines included in the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations were fully updated in antigen composition in strict accordance with current World Health Organization recommendations for the Northern Hemisphere for the 2026-2027 season, Lioznov said. [ 3 ]
Interfax also recalled earlier Rospotrebnadzor statements that 5.3 million people in Russian regions had been vaccinated against flu and that the vaccination campaign is continuing. The agency said Rospotrebnadzor noted that the A(H1N1) virus shows a more severe course of illness among risk groups. No figures for current flu cases were given in the documents. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The statements come from the Health Ministry institute that sets the country’s flu vaccine composition, and they are tied to an ongoing national vaccination campaign, so they shape what Russian readers are told about the season’s risk. The documents give no case counts or regional incidence data, so the practical scale of the season cannot be judged from this coverage.
Key facts
- Dmitry Lioznov, director of the Health Ministry’s Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, said the flu situation in Russia is currently stable. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lioznov said flu vaccines for the current season have been fully updated, with all three components in the vaccines changed, indicating the arrival of new flu virus strains for which there is no immunity. [ 2 , 3 ]
- He said this justified vaccination, above all for the most vulnerable groups: children, pregnant women, elderly people and people with chronic diseases. [ 3 ]
- Immunity after vaccination forms in no less than 14 days, he said. [ 3 ]
- All Russian vaccines in the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations were fully updated in antigen composition in line with current World Health Organization recommendations for the Northern Hemisphere for the 2026-2027 season, he said. [ 3 ]
- Rospotrebnadzor earlier reported that 5.3 million people in Russian regions had been vaccinated against flu and that the campaign is continuing. [ 3 ]
- Rospotrebnadzor noted that the A(H1N1) virus shows a more severe course of illness among risk groups. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- No number of flu cases, incidence rate or regional breakdown is given in the documents. All three documents describe the assessment and the vaccine update without citing current case data.
- The figure of 5.3 million vaccinated people and the statement that A(H1N1) is more severe in risk groups come from a single outlet, Interfax, which attributes them to earlier Rospotrebnadzor statements without a date. Single-source claim carried in one document, with no publication time given for the original statement.
- The documents do not say how long the current situation is expected to remain stable or whether an increase in cases is anticipated. Neither the institute director nor the other outlets quoted address the outlook for the season.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti and TASS report that a Health Ministry expert called the flu situation in Russia stable, with TASS noting that the institute head said vaccines were fully updated. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Interfax publishes Lioznov’s remarks to journalists, including that all three vaccine components were changed and that 5.3 million people had earlier been vaccinated, according to Rospotrebnadzor. [ 3 ]