The following people share their knowledge on the prevention of respiratory diseases:
- Nikolay Filatov, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor of medical Sciences, Professor, honored doctor of the Russian Federation.
- Alexander Myasnikov, honored doctor of the city of Moscow, candidate of medical Sciences, doctor of medicine of the USA.
Evolutionary significance of interferons
During the period of evolution, humanity has encountered a large number of viruses. Some viruses disappeared, others mutated, and new ones appeared. Humanity is not extinct only because the body of each individual produces a unique antiviral agent – interferon. It’s part of our innate immune system.
Interferons are a powerful tool against a mass of not only viral but also bacterial diseases. Innate immunity necessarily works through interferon, and it is based on antiviral protection. The action of interferon is universal regardless of the type of virus. It also applies to respiratory infections: influenza, SARS, COVID-19.
Flu and COVID-19 in the autumn-winter season
At the end of the summer, the topic of COVID-19 became relevant again. Everyone is afraid of the second wave, and fears are justified. There are still no reliable medicines for the disease. The percentage of asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 is about 40%. Data on the number of people with antibodies to coronavirus in major regions – Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan-have already appeared. There, about 25 to 30% of people have antibodies to the coronavirus. That means that these people have already had some form of the disease. Thus, if we relied on the incidence of flu last fall, it turns out that in 20% of cases of respiratory diseases this fall, people will simultaneously get sick with both COVID-19 and flu. It is one in five people.
On the eve of the autumn-winter season, it is crucial to know how the virus spreads and how to protect yourself from it. Until recently, it was believed that the coronavirus spreads through drops: someone sneezed, slips of the virus flew out of the mouth, and quickly settled. However, it has already been proven that infected aerosol is also contagious. Large drops of sputum have resolved, and the smallest infected suspension persists in the air for a long time. This effect can be seen in a darkened room where a ray of light has penetrated. It highlights the smallest particles of dust floating in the air. A similar pattern is observed with infected aerosol. Infection occurs when the pathogen is inhaled, which settles on the epithelium of the respiratory tract and then enters the body.
Measures of protection against coronavirus infection:
- physical virus protection;
- drug prevention of the disease;
COVID-19: Physical protection
Air safety
The lower the concentration of the virus in the air, the safer it is. Therefore, it is better to be outdoors than indoors.
In the premises, ventilation systems that disinfect the air are desirable.
Also, social distance should be observed everywhere on the premises. It is especially important for rooms with poor ventilation, such as elevators.
Everyone needs to continue wearing masks or respirators. Both international and national recommendations indicate it. Only you need to do it correctly. The mask should cover both the mouth and nose. It isn’t useful if it only covers the mouth. Even worse, if the mask hangs on the chin, in which case it is useless. It is also helpful to change the masks every 3 hours so that they do not become a source of infection.
Skin safety
Wearing gloves makes sense if you change them after each action. For example, if you take up a cart in a store, change your gloves before taking the product. Used gloves should either be discarded or washed. If some gloves are worn for several hours, they will become a bacterial breeding ground. The doctor spends a box of gloves per shift, and that’s right.
Drug prevention of COVID-19
The most significant risk is now faced by doctors in the red zones of COVID-19 departments. From these doctors, you need to take an example of how to protect yourself from the disease.
A medical worker who spends 12 hours in the red zone receives dozens of infecting doses of coronavirus. Even an ideal immune system can’t handle this kind of strain. To protect the nasal mucosa from infection, doctors use nasal drops of interferon-alpha-2b. Such drug prevention is recommended not only for Russian medical personnel. There is the experience of Cuban doctors working in COVID-19 wards. They carry out prevention with the nasal form of interferon, and there are no cases among the medical staff in Cuba.
To date, there are no strict cohort randomized placebo-controlled studies of the effectiveness of nasal interferon for the prevention of COVID-19. In the current epidemiological situation, doctors in many countries work on the principle of “using what helps.”
COVID-19 vaccine
Even though the first vaccines have already been developed and tested on humans, the situation is not comfortable. The difficulty is that the COVID-19 vaccine is needed more for collective protection than for personal protection.
If a person cuts their finger, the tetanus vaccine will save them. That is individual protection. But to have collective immunity, 70% of the population must be vaccinated. Those at risk understand the importance of the vaccine and wait for it. These are doctors, older adults, and people with chronic diseases. They need the vaccine.
It won’t be easy to motivate young people to get vaccinated. Young people and children make up about 1% of cases, and there is no urgent need for a vaccine for them. If young people start to refuse vaccination EN masse and 20 – 30% of people are vaccinated, then human society will not be able to get collective immunity from the disease. Then COVID-19 will remain in our population longer and with more severe consequences.
In this situation, it is essential to explain to young people that they need to be vaccinated to protect their father, mother, grandparents. Here applies the principle: one for all and all for one. It is hoped that people will approach the vaccination process intelligently.
