Grippe tightens its grip on Russia

This year, a flu epidemic has so far been registered only in the Lipetsk and Yaroslavl regions, Central Russia, where the epidemic threshold has been exceeded 1.5 times. An outbreak of influenza in Moscow, St.Petersburg, as well as in the far-eastern cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk is expected as soon as in late-January, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (Sanepidnadzor) says. The Ekho Moskvy radio, citing the doctors, says the residents of the above cities will have enough time to get vaccinated. The current influenza strain is characterized by muscle and eye pains, and also by high temperature which may hold for up to 5 days.