Plague troops

How secret medical services of the Russian Federation are fighting the coronavirus epidemic

In early December, in China, in the provinces of Ujan, cases of the disease of the 2019-NCOV coronavirus began to appear. Very quickly, the situation got out of control, and in two months the number of cases exceeded 35 thousand people. In Russia, two cases of infection have been recorded so far - in the Tyumen region and Transbaikalia. At the end of January, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the outbreak of coronavirus in China as an emergency international scale. The New Gazeta understood how Russian medical services, including their closed units, are trying to resist infections.

Situations with outbreaks of serious diseases periodically occur in any country, and the healthcare system should be ready for this. For example, in May of this year there was a case of a bubonic plague in Mongolia. A few years ago, a case of anthrax was recorded on Yamal.

“It should be borne in mind that all of our north is permafrost, there is ice under layers of moss and soil, where the remains of dead animals can be located. Some of them could die from serious diseases. Bacteria tolerate frosts quite well, therefore, when one of these animals thawed, several people were infected with a Siberian ulcer, ”says Pavel Volchkov, head of the MPI Genoma Engineering Laboratory.

“There was a plague, there was a flash of cholera a few years ago in Astrakhan,” says a molecular biologist and scientific journalist Irina Yakutenko. - These are emergency situations. At the same time, there is a plan for how to act in such situations, it is even given on the WHO website. Now there is a special page on coronavirus: there are plans and how to evacuate people, and how to interact with the press and society. Why do we have a mess? This is a rhetorical question, as always.

It is customary for us to hide it first, and then act urgently.

There are people in place at their own peril and risk. To answer the question why such a mess is taking place, it is possible only because it is Russia. ”

Evacuation in the Socialist Revolutionary

On February 5, 128 Russian citizens were evacuated to Russia from Ujan. People returned from the center of the epidemic on two military aircraft without heating, with a refueling in Ulan -Ude, where at that time it was -30. The flight took 13 hours. All this time, passengers spent without normal armchairs and toilet (it was replaced by a dry closet covered with a tent). After arriving, everyone was placed in quarantine in a sanatorium under Tyumen. There, for two weeks, the country from the spread of coronavirus will protect the barbed wire and two rows of Rosgvardists.

There were different versions of the causes of such conditions. For example, the choice of military aircraft was explained by the simplicity of disinfection, and the place of quarantine was explained by removal from the city and the presence of an autonomous sewage system. At the same time, there are no answers to the questions why Russian citizens had to endure so much time in inhuman conditions, and why many rules of evacuation from the center of the epidemic have been violated are still not.

As the military expert Alexander Golts explains, you should not be surprised at the decoration of the military side, "they are so used to the army." Biologist Irina Yakutenko, meanwhile, transfers a number of errors made during the operation. For example, according to WHO recommendations on the evacuation of people from the foci of the epidemic, all evacuated must first be checked, moreover

Separate completely asymptomatic from people with at least some signs of illness.

“As I can judge from the records of eyewitnesses, this was not done. All passengers were brought in a plane in a skeleton - this is an unconditional violation, as they can infect each other. This situation occurs on cruise liners off the coast of Japan. Since passengers are together, the number of cases is growing, ”Yakutenko explains.

In addition, according to the biologist, on the very side the rules for passengers were clearly not united:

“If you watch the video, it is clear that someone is sitting in a mask, and someone without. In addition, the flight with the refueling itself is quite risky. The “plague hut” we plant in Ulan-Ude, this had to be avoided. Or at least make them in contact with the locals less. Meanwhile, local workers [were still] stood in masks and ordinary fur coats, that is, without special protection.

Evacuated people should be placed closer to the place where qualified assistance can be provided. We know that there is no specific treatment, but supportive therapy can be very important. In Tyumen, it is not a fact that they can provide it, ”Yakutenko summarizes.

Sanitars of flights

One of the main departments whose structures flash in the fight against coronavirus is Rospotrebnadzor. Despite the fact that the people are more remembered by the situational restrictions on the import of Georgian wine or Ukrainian chocolate sweets - this is just a small part of the work of the sanitary service. For example, Rospotrebnadzor has a number of anti -shitty services and institutions that are fighting the most dangerous infections.

In Moscow, two laboratories of Rospotrebnadzor worked at first: the Khluim Center FKUZ and the FBUZ Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the city of Moscow, and the staff of the institutions checked flights at Vnukovo Airport. On the last day of January, Sheremetyevo transferred all flights from China to the F terminal, now the regional structures of Rospotrebnadzor are working there.

According to the acting head of the territorial department of the Rospotrebnadzor Department in the Moscow Region by transport at Sheremetyevo Airport Sergey Kalinin, the airport was half the number of health workers per shift, in addition, the conditions for detection of the disease were created.

“There are insulators in all terminals-special premises where passengers are examined, biomaterial fence, its transfer to the laboratory and where the mechanism of interaction with the sanitary-case on the delivery of passengers with suspicion of a dangerous infectious disease to the Domodedovo infectious hospital is established. Personnel protection is carried out using anti -hidom costumes, ”said Kalinin on the air of the Russia 24 television channel [TASS quote].

In addition to detection of symptoms, employees are also required to take into account the border crossing in order to further track them due to the long incubation period of coronavirus, adds Pavel Volchkov.

“The arrivals from China must be observed in quarantine conditions for two weeks. During this time, the virus should develop (in rare cases it is possible) or not, ”says Volchkov.

According to the virologist, in the presence of symptoms of the disease, you can immediately make molecular genetic diagnostics and determine whether there are viral particles in mucous fluids or in the blood. For this, RNA is allocated and reverse transcription is done. Based on reverse transcription, complementary DNA is synthesized and a polymerase chain reaction is made. If there is a viral RNA, there will be a positive signal.

“This is a fairly quick and clear detection method. Theoretically, it can be made to people without symptoms, but you need to understand that these are huge research. But all those who arrive from China theoretically can make a test. I hope that employees of Rospotrebnadzor adhere to such an algorithm, ”Volchkov notes.

At the same time, “semi -carandenic” measures may not be enough, says Irina Yakutenko. Despite the fact that there are no studies that could prove the effectiveness of the complete restriction of trips, mathematical models of the spread of diseases allow it.

“We have done hard with evacuated people, but at the same time we skip filled aircraft from Shanghai. [There are several problems with this.] Firstly, those who flew spread throughout the country. Secondly, these same planes fly after six hours [to other points, for example] in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. If sick people sneezed and coughing on board, then the virus could well stay and go to other passengers.

We do not know if these aircraft are disinfected or not,

We do not know how effective this disinfection is. Flights from China are not absolute evil, many countries have preserved them, but it would be good to explain to people how such issues are being resolved, ”the specialist indicates.

Detachment of struggle with Ebola

All forces and research institutes (research institutes) were thrown to fight coronavirus. On February 4, it became known that one of his experts to Tyumen was sent by the research anti -Shchumi institute (Nipchi) Microbe. The Institute specializes in the sanitary and epidemiological protection of Russia against the importation and distribution of especially dangerous infections, their specialist will have to engage in quarantine measures. What is specifically included in the duties of the scientist is unknown, the Novaya Institute refused to comment on the situation without the permission of Rospotrebnadzor, and the agency did not respond to the time of publication of the material for a request from the newspaper. However, as Volchkov suggests, the tasks of the microbe specialist are largely similar to the work of services that are on duty at airports.

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For the institute, this is not the first experience with dangerous infections. In 2014, six microbe employees, led by senior researcher Valentina Safronov, were sent to Guinea to fight Ebola. As Safronov later said, scientists conducted laboratory work, studying dozens of samples of a potential virus every day.

Nevertheless, the main front of the work of scientific institutions is still aimed at creating vaccines. Two of them have already begun to develop the State Scientific Center for virology and biotechnology "Vector".

The vaccine against Ebola, which is produced in Russia, developed precisely the Vector.

The Director General of the Institute, Rinat Maksutov, refused to speak with the Novaya correspondent, however, as he said at a meeting of Siberian scientists with the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeyev on January 24, the institute has already begun to develop two vaccines, the prototypes of which should have been undergoing the first research in June. In addition, two diagnostic sets for the new coronavirus were created in the Vector, which were sent to different regions of Russia.

“The deadlines for the development of any vaccine are still long, this is not done by the wave of a magic wand. At least it takes from three to six months. I hope that the vaccine is not needed, and the epidemic will be eliminated exclusively by quarantine measures. In any case, quarantine measures help if you do not stop, then restrain the development of the epidemic. Thus, we can have time to make a vaccine before it comes to Russia, ”says Volchkov.

In addition to the structures of Rospotrebnadzor, which also includes the FBUN of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, the institutes of the Ministry of Health (Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after the Honorary Academician N.F. Gamalei, who merged from the Research Institute of Virology named after D.I. Ivanovsky), as well as similar institutions of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, are also fought. In addition, the institutions of the Ministry of Defense (among them are the Research Institute of Microbiology of the Ministry of Defense, or military unit 44026) also monitor the situation.

“You need to understand that they [institutions that work with serious infections] are extremely special, even access is limited there. Specialized people work there. We can openly talk about the “vector”, but there is another part of closed institutions, their information is not public, ”explains Pavel Volchkov.

At the same time, it is extremely difficult to talk about the open “vector” now, Yakutenko notes:

“We do not know what the“ vector ”analyzes, there is no official information. This is also a violation of WHO rules. In their recommendations for working with epidemics there is a special document that prescribes the need for the communications of the authorities with society and the press. [Society] should tell everything, but what is really happening is not told to us. ”

In addition to closed institutions, nothing can be found out about the only expert from Russia in the Extraordinary Committee for the execution of international sanitary rules in connection with the outbreak of coronavirus. The work of the head of the epizootological monitoring and forecasting department of the Stavropol Anti -Shuman Institute, Rospotrebnadzor Vladimir Dubyansky, is also classified.

"Analyzes were lost"

The panic around the coronavirus more and more covers the population. On February 7, on Friday, the head of the near warned about the chronic shortage of masks and other means of protection from the spread of a new virus. In Russia, anti -chom costumes gained popularity. They are already massively purchased by Primorye hospitals. At the same time, the doctors are not particularly eager to check potential patients.

As Natalia, a student from Moscow, told the “new”, despite the fact that she had all the symptoms similar to coronavirus (except shortness of breath), doctors refused to take tests from her for the virus.

“I have a strong dry cough with chest pain, temperature 38 and diagnosed focal pneumonia. But only those who had contacts with "China citizens over the past 14 days" are sent to tests. "

First, the girl turned to the doctor of the 68th clinic, to which she is attributed. Natalia was sent to fluorography, where the pathology was revealed, and they said to come again. In addition, the girl took blood for biochemistry and made her a cardiogram. During a second examination, the doctor called an ambulance directly to the clinic. The ambulance took the girl to the hospital, where pneumonia was confirmed. Despite the fact that the symptoms were similar to coronavirus,

The main condition for conducting the study is still direct contact with Chinese citizens.

“I immediately asked me to sign up for an infectologist, but they told me that this was needed for this. The doctor did not give it to me at the first examination, ”says Natalia.

The other case was reported by Open Media. Also on Friday on February 7, doctors of the Moscow Infectious District Hospital No. 1 tried to force the patient with suspicion of coronavirus to write out after she complained about a long absence of tests and non -compliance with the clinic of hygiene in social networks.

The girl entered the hospital on February 5, on Tuesday. Before that, she spent the whole day with colleagues from China. She was placed in the hospital with suspicion of coronavirus, but at the same time they put six people in the common chamber and did not give the results of the tests for three days due to the fact that they were "lost somewhere." In addition, there was no toilet, soap and protective masks in the infectious diseases hospital.

After the scandal in the media, the girl was given ready -made analyzes (negative both SARS and Koronavirus), and Marina Bazarova, deputy head of the infectious diseases hospital No. 1, told Open Media that the conflict has been settled. However, the leadership of the infectious diseases hospital No. 1 in the official commentary said that the girl was treated in the corps in which the repairs was carried out, and the guilt for the lack of masks was laid on the patients themselves.

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