Results of further research on influenza in the USSR with special reference to the 1957 pandemic

Abstract

This article reviews the main results of the research carried out between 1954 and 1957 by the Influenza Department of the Institute of Virology, Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow.This research has been concentrated on the influenza virus strains isolated, the pathogenesis and immunology of influenza among adults and pre-school children, clinical manifestations, epidemiology, and therapeutic and prophylactic methods, including the preparation and use of live vaccines and sera. Particularly intensive research was conducted during the pandemic of Asian influenza in 1957, and the biological properties of A2 virus strains, the clinical course of the illness in infants and adults, the spread of the pandemic in the USSR and certain results of influenza control measures are among the subjects discussed.