Science journalist and obscurantist Alexander Panchin published in his facebook an advertising leaflet for children's "Anaferon" - an antiviral homeopathic drug with not quite, to put it mildly, proven effectiveness. This leaflet claims that Anaferon, an over-the-counter drug consisting almost exclusively of powdered sugar, is effective in preventing tick-borne encephalitis after a bite.

Punchin and his commentators were predictably furious at this. Tick-borne encephalitis is a deadly natural focal viral disease. Encephalitic mites, which used to live in Siberia and the Urals, reached Central Russia. After a bite from such a tick, a person should immediately be tested and if encephalitis antibodies are found, he needs immunoglobulin injections and serious treatment.

The instructions for "Anaferon" say that its effectiveness against tick-borne encephalitis virus "has been established experimentally and clinically." As follows from the instructions, the drug stimulates the humoral and cellular immune response, increases the functional reserve of cells involved in the immune response. And it is indicated in the complex therapy and prevention of infections caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus.

As a "new approach to emergency prevention and treatment of tick-borne encephalitis" about Anaferon NPF "Materia Medica Holding" talks more in the press. “It has been proven that the diversity of clinical forms of clinical encephalitis is due not only to the circulation of various virus serotypes, but also to the nature of the body's immune response. Therefore, at present, interferon inducers are widely introduced for prevention and treatment. One of the drugs used for this purpose are Anaferon and Anaferon for children, ”explains the manufacturer.

As for Anaferon's belonging to homeopathic remedies, the company has repeatedly denied this. “Anaferon is really created on the basis of ultra-low doses of antibodies to gamma-interferon. In the manufacture of the medicine, homeopathic dilution principles were used, but this is where the relationship with homeopathy ends, the manufacturer explains. “The use of antibodies in Anaferon translates it into the category of biotechnological drugs.” "Anaferon" and "Anaferon for children" are medicines and this is indicated in the instructions for the drugs, on the packaging and in official reference books, the manufacturer notes. Moreover, by order of Roszdravnadzor No. 1488-PR / 10 dated February 27, 2010, Anaferon for Children is registered in the list of vital medicines.

Panchin, in his post to Livejournal point by point, refutes all this. The product is homeopathic: “At some point, the company decided to hide the homeopathic nature of its products. On the packages they write “active ingredients - 0.003g”, and then a footnote: “applied to lactose monohydrate in the form of a water-alcohol mixture with a content of not more than 10 to the power of -15 ng / g of the active form of the active substance.” As a result, the active substance is diluted 10 to the power of -26 times. The drug contains nothing, but the patient does not know about it.

The scientific studies referred to in the instruction are sloppy, the results are on the verge of noise and statistical error.

The epidemiologist, with whom the MedNews correspondent spoke, was also not shy in his expressions. “You might as well try magic. The only real means of emergency prophylaxis is a specific human immunoglobulin, which is administered in the first 72 hours after a tick bite,” Alexander Lukashev, virologist, MD, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained to MedNews. And such prevention is prescribed in official documents - clinical recommendations and standards of the Ministry of Health. “In endemic regions (and the Tver and Yaroslavl regions neighboring Moscow and the Dmitrovsky and Taldom regions of the Moscow region are already considered to be such), if an unvaccinated person bitten by a tick comes to the emergency room, he is given prophylaxis with human immunoglobulin,” said Lukashev. This drug is obtained from the blood of vaccinated donors, but even it does not provide a 100% guarantee of protection, and vaccination remains the most reliable preventive measure.

But proposals to use homeopathic remedies, in particular Anaferon, as a preventive measure for a deadly disease, are “criminal,” according to the expert. “Another thing is that not everyone bitten by even an infected tick gets sick, and in many people encephalitis can be asymptomatic,” says Lukashev. How many such people, we do not know. And even if they took homeopathy after the bite, this does not mean at all that this is what helped. You might as well try magic."

As for the treatment of severe viral encephalitis, the expert is surprised by the fact that among the impressive list of drugs included in the standard of medical care, immunostimulants (including Anaferon) are generally included. “Nowhere in the world is immunostimulants treated so freely,” the expert explained. - Because immunostimulants work differently in different situations and quite often give negative reactions. The immunopathogenesis of many infections, and, there are suggestions that tick-borne encephalitis, is such that excess antibodies only cause harm. And therefore, in no case should you stimulate an additional immune response in the treatment of a patient with tick-borne encephalitis.

Anaferon is licensed by the Ministry of Health and therefore its advertising is also legal. The advertising department of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia explained to MedNovosti that “the instructions for the use of this drug (in search services on request) indicate the prevention of encephalitis, therefore, in order to evaluate the advertising for reliability, we need clarification from the Ministry of Health.”

Tick-borne encephalitis is a natural focal viral infection characterized by fever, intoxication, and damage to the gray matter of the brain (encephalitis) and/or the membranes of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis and meningoencephalitis). The disease can lead to persistent neurological and psychiatric complications and even death of the patient.

The reason for the criticism was not only that the tablets, in principle, are not used to prevent infectious diseases caused by viruses (only vaccines are used for this), but also that Anaferon, in fact, does not contain an active ingredient that could neutralize the effect virus.
Thus, it turns out that people are offered to treat a serious disease with what, in fact, is a placebo, a tablet of which may not contain a single molecule of the active substance. We also recall that Russian scientists have officially recognized homeopathy as pseudoscience - this is stated in the memorandum of the Commission for Combating Pseudoscience and Falsification of Scientific Research under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

TBE is a serious disease, and it is a crime to suggest using a placebo to prevent and treat it, because the consequences can be very serious.

If you have been bitten by a tick, you must take it to the laboratory for analysis in order to determine whether it was infected. Such studies are usually carried out by the laboratories of the centers of hygiene and epidemiology, as well as many commercial laboratories. If the analysis shows that the tick has been infected, it is necessary to contact a medical institution as soon as possible in order to undergo emergency prophylaxis with immunoglobulin. Relying on homeopathic remedies in such a situation is reckless in the extreme.

And the most reliable way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated on time, this is especially important if a person plans to stay in an area with an increased risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis.

Antibodies to interferons, it seems, should be attached to them in order to mark them as “enemy particles” (we examined the mechanism and logic of this ensemble in an article about). The idea of ​​injecting patients with antibodies (immunoglobulins) against an infectious agent - for example, doctors are trying to help those with tick-borne encephalitis - is not entirely devoid of logic, but when antibodies are aimed at their means of communication, then these are some kind of incorrect antibodies that are much more reminiscent of principle of "like cures like".

If you look at the footnote, then 0.003 grams of the active substance, which are indicated on the package, are dissolved in "active form with a content of not more than 10-16 ng / g." One nanogram is equal to a gram times ten to the minus ninth power. Accordingly, 10 nanograms is 10 -8 grams. A little, but it completely falls into the tablet (for simplicity, we will assume that it weighs one gram).

However, in the scanned copies of the instructions stored in the state register of the Ministry of Health, you can see numbers showing that a small typo was made on the site: it turns out that with a wave of the cursor, 16 crawled down from the tenth degree, and instead of "10 -16" we got as much as "10-16" ng/g A spread of a quadrillion times.

As we already calculated in the previous article, without dilution, 0.006 grams will contain honest 2.4x10 15 antibody molecules. Then in 0.003 grams they remain 1.2x10 15 pieces. And how many of these molecules will be in 10 -16 ng per gram of drug, that is, one tablet? You get 4x10 -6 . This means that only four molecules are contained in a whole million tablets. But this does not bother manufacturers, called in the patent, the principle of potentiation is the "activation" of antibodies, after which they, in their opinion, begin to act.

The most interesting thing is that to carry out such calculations, you do not need to run a supercomputer the size of a three-story house. Any ninth grader with a calculator, in whose memory the chemistry lessons have not been covered with the dust of centuries, can easily repeat them for other drugs if there are doubts about the concentration of the active substance. Armed with the Internet, an adult can do them.

In the situation with Anaferon, we found that, as in the case of Ergoferon, these antibodies can only harm your wallet. With one exception: if you try to use them as a substitute for real, effective methods, neglecting precautions where your belief in a placebo does not have a strong effect on your health, it can be harmful and even dangerous. For example, with tick-borne encephalitis.

Encephalitis: softening of the brain in the literal and figurative sense

“The child was bitten by a tick, which turned out to be encephalitic. Can Anaferon be used for treatment? - there are many such questions with variations in the age of children and details of how the bite occurred on the site of the drug. In response, a certain Anna steadily recommends the use of Anaferon both as a preventive measure and in case of infection. Given the severity of the disease, these tips plunge medical professionals into rage and horror.

Encephalitis is an inflammation that affects the gray matter of the brain, mainly the bodies of neurons and their processes, which are not covered by "insulation" - the myelin sheath. This inflammation can be caused by various viral, bacterial and other infections, as well as secondary complications of influenza and other diseases. Tick-borne encephalitis is caused by a virus of the genus Flavivirus. Its closest relatives are the yellow fever virus, Zika fever and West Nile fever, and the culprits of many other dangerous diseases, such as the hepatitis C virus, are a little further away.

The tick-borne encephalitis virus stores its hereditary information in the form of RNA. Viruses are like astronauts who set off to colonize new planets: outside the cell, they hide in a special “suit”, a capsid, and in general do not show any signs of a living organism during “interstellar flights”, like heroes of science fiction works who are in suspended animation. The only difference is that their "planets" are alive, but may stop being so due to settlement (another interesting plot for science fiction, showing how much inspiration can be drawn from biology).

When a person is infected, immune cells rush to the rescue. Among them are macrophages - guardians of the body discovered by Mechnikov, who seek to eat any enemy and intruder. The insidious encephalitis virus needs only this: it is released from its capsid shell, releases RNA into free swimming and multiplies inside macrophages, turning them into a springboard for further conquests inside the body, in order to finally reach the neurons of the cervical spine and soft tissues of the brain. First, the patient has a high temperature, he is feverish and nauseous, his muscles hurt, then consciousness, sensitivity, motor activity (up to paralysis) are disturbed. For European encephalitis, mortality is 1-2%, for the more violent Far Eastern subtype - 20-25%, but even surviving patients can get a bunch of severe complications from the nervous system for life.

The main tick-borne encephalitis virus in Russia - ixodid ticks Ixodes ricinus And Ixodes persulcatus. The first settled in the European part of Russia, the second chose Siberia and the Far East. Ticks bite ungulates and other wild mammals or birds, transmitting the disease from them to humans.

Tick ​​Ixodes Ricinus

Wikimedia Commons

According to Doctor of Biology Nina Tikunova from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on average, only 6% of ticks are infected with encephalitis, and only 2-6% of people bitten by them fall ill, and some even manage to acquire resistance, something like natural immunity. At the same time, ticks infected with encephalitis are almost never found in some regions, while in others they are very numerous. But do not forget that in addition to the encephalitis virus, these arthropods can carry dozens of other health-threatening bacteria and viruses that cause, for example, borreliosis (Lyme disease). Even if these diseases are not fatal, they can lead to lifelong disability, especially when the disease is not treated in time. For some of them, there are still no drugs that are 100% effective.

Lies, blatant lies or statistics?

In the issuance of the database of medical scientific publications Pubmed, you can find 23 scientific articles on the effectiveness of Anaferon, as well as dozens of dissertations defended on his research.

Of these 23 articles (where, by the way, there is not a single one about encephalitis), nine were co-authored with the head of the company, Oleg Epshtein - you can immediately suspect a conflict of interest, so you need to evaluate the accuracy of the experiments with great care. Several articles are written only in Russian. This, of course, does not refute everything that they contain, but casts doubt: it is strange if you do not want to show the results to your foreign colleagues. And again doubts.

By the way, Oleg Epshtein himself was nominated as a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and even became one of them. Alexander Panchin notes that the number of his scientific publications suddenly jumped from 1 to 50 in 2003 due to articles in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, published in a special issue edited by Epstein himself.

Doctors around the world have long come up with criteria that will make a clinical trial more honest and transparent, reducing the influence of the subjective factor. For this, the study needs to be randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and the sample is large enough, not tens or even hundreds of people.

Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled method is a method of clinical drug research in which subjects are not initiated into important details of the study being conducted. “Double blind” means that neither the subjects nor the experimenters know who is being treated with what, “randomized” means that the distribution into groups is random, and placebo is used to show that the effect of the drug is not based on autosuggestion and that this medicine helps better than a tablet without active substance. This method prevents subjective distortion of the results. Sometimes the control group is given another drug with already proven efficacy, rather than a placebo, to show that the drug not only treats better than nothing, but also outperforms analogues.

However, out of 23 articles, most of which are devoted to influenza, SARS and other viral diseases, a double-blind placebo-controlled study of the activity of Anaferon against ... schizophrenia. It on the "extensive" group of 40 people showed that the effect of the drug is comparable to the placebo effect.

Another study, now not on humans, but only on a flat surface with wells - a tablet, where some “release-active” forms of antibodies were mixed with interferons, or “regular” forms, was published in a decent scientific journal PLOS ONE. It was supposed to prove the effectiveness of "relatively low concentrations" of their substance. The co-author of the article, by the way, was again Oleg Epshtein.

But in some miraculous way, this technique works. At least that's what those who tested it think. Russian scientists (Alexander Panchin and his colleagues) sent a letter to the journal pointing out a factor that could greatly distort the measurement results: it turns out that the device in which the reaction took place heats up unevenly, and the scientific community has been distributing various substances into the wells in the tablet for decades. random order, so as not to get false results, indicating that on the one hand the reaction was faster. The journal promised to consider this problem, but they stopped responding, and instead of a separate article, criticism came out as a commentary on this work. However, one of the editors of PLOS ONE admitted the publication's errors, about which he wrote an article on his blog.

Most of the remaining articles were published in the already mentioned Bulletin, whose impact factor has hung around 0.5 for many years, or even much lower.

Of course, the impact factor is not the only and strictly objective indicator of quality, and it can only play the role of a “primary sieve”, but looking at these articles, we again see the risk of bias, non-double-blind studies and other shortcomings.

Sugar against mites

Is it advisable to entrust the treatment of encephalitis to a drug (even if it is recommended by the Ministry of Health), in which not a single molecule of the active substance will fall on whole mountains of pills? Draw your own conclusion. But let's think about whether, in this case, at least fillers, which are much more in a tablet, will not help us.

The gene that makes people able (or not able) to deal with this carbohydrate is called MCM6. Some of its mutations once allowed most Caucasians to digest lactose in adulthood, while others interfere with someone in childhood. It contains two sections that regulate the work of the gene, where the sequence of lactase, an enzyme for the breakdown of lactose, is recorded.

Quaternary structure of the lactase enzyme

Wikimedia Commons

Scientists have predicted that ticks, at least the Blackfoot ( Ixodes scapularis), common in North America, there is such a gene. They were helped by the fact that the found sequence is similar to a homologous (related in origin) gene in fruit flies, humans, fish and other animals.

But it is not as simple as it seems, and its main role is to help in DNA doubling (replication), when the two strands of this molecule unwind, forming a replication fork. Each chain is eventually completed to a whole molecule. So this gene may well not be in charge of any breakdown of lactose, but only to do the duplication of DNA during cell division.

And this means that even if you start using Anaferon topically in the hope of lactose intolerance in some ticks, the success of this enterprise is doubtful. Moreover, ticks feed on blood, in which lactose will already be split anyway. So the topic is open for research. Perhaps, in order to establish this, you will have to feed a large number of ticks with Anaferon personally. In the correct dosage (half a tablet per piece should be enough for the eyes), the unfortunate arthropod can be killed with lactose. With well-placed experiments and interesting, “publicable” results, such research can also receive the Ig Nobel Prize. The main thing is not to get infected with anything from these ticks in the process, so that the prize does not have to be awarded posthumously (the committee does this very rarely, you can even stay with nothing).

How to protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis

There are no well-constructed studies that unambiguously and flawlessly proved the effectiveness of Anaferon even against influenza and SARS. As for emergency prevention, and even more so the treatment of tick-borne encephalitis, hope for the power of homeopathy, albeit hidden (but not for those who dare to look into the original patent Oleg Epstein on "a method of treating viral diseases"), here is not only stupid, but also life-threatening. So let's stop giving some biologists a reason to sneer about "natural selection is on, keep drinking sugar balls," let's drop jokes, statistical tricks and thought experiments and talk about working defenses.

If you are going to a region where tick-borne encephalitis is common in spring or summer, think about your safety in advance. The best protection against viral encephalitis (this, by the way, even the Anaferon website does not deny, however, in a separate tab, and not answering patients on the forums) is not an attack, but vaccination. But the process is not fast: in order to fully meet the summer, vaccinations must be started in the fall. However, despite the inconvenience, high cost and side effects (which, however, are not dangerous to life and health in general), vaccines do protect against tick-borne encephalitis.

Choose clothing that the tick can't get through. The virus hides in a capsid suit from the cruel outside world, and you hide from the virus. Although the full suit of an astronaut is hardly available to you (and it’s not very convenient to wear it in the forest), you can equip yourself with long pants tucked into shoes and a jacket or sweater with long sleeves, put on a hat without leaving gaps where dangerous things can crawl through. arachnid. Treat your clothes with repellent, and after the walk, ask for a close inspection of you for a parked virus starship with eight legs. Also, do not drink raw milk from animals that could be bitten by infected ticks. But when boiled, the virus dies in two to three minutes (although it is not at all afraid of the cold).

If you do contract tick-borne encephalitis, modern medicine can offer supportive vitamins, pain relievers, and symptomatic treatment. Immunoglobulins are also used in Russia, but this method also does not give a significant effect: immunity, like any complex system, is much easier to harm than help. Due to the lack of indisputable evidence of benefit and even hints of some harm to this technique for tick-borne encephalitis in Western Europe, it was completely stopped using it.

It has not been confirmed that epilepsy drugs can help in the treatment of viral tick-borne encephalitis. So don't be fooled. Not like Anaferon, but in general, no medicines will cure you of encephalitis quickly and completely. But observation by a doctor and symptomatic treatment may reduce the risk of complications, save your life, or help you not remain disabled. Agree, this is a lot.

Registration number: P N000372/01-061009

Dosage form: lozenges

Composition

Active ingredients: antibodies to human gamma interferon affinity purified - 0.003 g *

Excipients: lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate.

* administered as a water-alcohol mixture of the active form of the active substance ⃰⃰ ⃰

** The active form of the active substance is the active form with a content of not more than 10-16 ng/g of the active substance.
Description

Flat-cylindrical tablets, with a risk and a chamfer, from white to almost white. MATERIA MEDICA is printed on the flat side with a notch, and ANAFERON KID is printed on the other flat side.

Pharmacotherapeutic group

Immunomodulators. Antivirals.

ATX codes: L03, J05AX

pharmachologic effect

With prophylactic and therapeutic use, the drug has an immunomodulatory and antiviral effect. Efficacy has been experimentally and clinically established against influenza viruses (including avian influenza), parainfluenza, herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2 (labial herpes, genital herpes), other herpes viruses (chickenpox, infectious mononucleosis), enteroviruses, tick-borne viruses encephalitis, rotavirus, coronavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial (PC virus). The drug reduces the concentration of the virus in the affected tissues, affects the system of endogenous interferons and associated cytokines, induces the formation of endogenous "early" interferons (IFN α / β) and interferon gamma (IFNγ). Stimulates humoral and cellular immune response. It increases the production of antibodies (including secretory IgA), activates the functions of T-effectors, T-helpers (Tx), normalizes their ratio. Increases the functional reserve of Tx and other cells involved in the immune response. It is an inducer of a mixed Txl and Tx2 type of immune response: it increases the production of cytokines Txl (IFNγ, IL-2) and Tx2 (IL-4, 10), normalizes (modulates) the balance of Tx1 / Tx2 activities. Increases the functional activity of phagocytes and natural killer cells (EK cells). Has antimutagenic properties.

Indications for use

Prevention and treatment of acute respiratory viral infections (including influenza). Complex therapy of infections caused by herpes viruses (infectious mononucleosis, chicken pox, labial herpes, genital herpes). Complex therapy and prevention of recurrence of chronic herpesvirus infection, including labial and genital herpes. Complex therapy and prevention of other acute and chronic viral infections caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus, enterovirus, rotavirus, coronavirus, calicivirus. Use as part of the complex therapy of bacterial infections. Complex therapy of secondary immunodeficiency states of various etiologies, including prevention and treatment of complications of viral and bacterial infections.

Contraindications

Increased individual sensitivity to the components of the drug, children under 1 month of age.

Pregnancy and lactation

The safety of using Anaferon for children in pregnant women and during lactation has not been studied. If necessary, taking the drug should take into account the risk/benefit ratio.

Dosage and administration

inside. At one time - 1 tablet (keep in the mouth until completely dissolved - not during meals).

Children from 1 month. When prescribing the drug to young children (from 1 month to 3 years), it is recommended to dissolve the tablet in a small amount (1 tablespoon) of boiled water at room temperature. SARS, influenza, intestinal infections, herpesvirus infections, neuroinfections.

Treatment should be started as early as possible - when the first signs of an acute viral infection appear according to the following scheme: in the first 2 hours, the drug is taken every 30 minutes, then during the first day three more doses are taken at regular intervals.

If there is no improvement, on the third day of treatment with the drug for acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, you should consult a doctor.

In the epidemic season, for prophylactic purposes, the drug is taken daily 1 time per day for 1-3 months.

Genital herpes. In acute manifestations of genital herpes, the drug is taken at regular intervals according to the following scheme: 1-3 days - 1 tablet 8 times a day, then 1 tablet 4 times a day for at least 3 weeks. For the prevention of recurrence of chronic herpes infection - 1 tablet per day. The recommended duration of the prophylactic course is determined individually and can be up to 6 months.

When using the drug for the treatment and prevention of immunodeficiency conditions, in the complex therapy of bacterial infections, take 1 tablet per day. If necessary, the drug can be combined with other antiviral and symptomatic agents.

The instructions do not contain a scheme for the use of the drug as a prophylaxis of tick-borne encephalitis. The following is information from open sources:
. The study used the following prevention scheme: at the age of 12 years, 1 tablet 3 times a day, at the age of over 12 years, 2 tablets 3 times a day for 21 days.

Side effect

When using the drug according to the indicated indications and in the indicated dosages, no side effects were detected. Manifestations of increased individual sensitivity to the components of the drug are possible.

Overdose

Cases of overdose have not been registered to date. In case of accidental overdose, dyspeptic symptoms are possible due to the excipients included in the preparation.

Interaction with other drugs

Cases of incompatibility with other drugs have not yet been identified. If necessary, the drug can be combined with other antiviral, antibacterial and symptomatic agents.

special instructions

The composition of the drug includes lactose, and therefore it is not recommended to prescribe it to patients with congenital galactosemia, glucose malabsorption syndrome or congenital lactase deficiency.

Release form

Lozenges. 20, 50 tablets in polymer jars with a screw neck and a screw-on lid for vitamins and medicines or polymer jars with a shock absorber and a pull-on lid with first opening control for vitamins and medicines. 20 tablets in a blister pack made of PVC film and aluminum foil. 1 or 2 blister packs (20 tablets each) or each jar, together with instructions for use, are placed in a cardboard box.

Storage conditions

In a dry, dark place, at a temperature not exceeding 25°C. Keep out of the reach of children.

Best before date

Do not use after the expiration date.

Terms of dispensing from pharmacies

In some cases, the result of a bite can be fatal, in order to prevent this, it is necessary to get vaccinated. For this, immunoglobulin is introduced, but again, its effect will be effective if the vaccine is given 90 hours before the bite, after the effect of the drug is not present, it has been clinically proven. Therefore, you need to be literate in this matter and take root when spring days come.

It is known that during a bite, a person does not feel pain, as the pest lets an anesthetic substance under the skin. After that, he calmly drinks blood, so a person may not detect him. After a few days, the first signs of tick-borne encephalitis begin to appear, which happens very late. You need to know this and be careful when going to the forest, going fishing, etc.

During infection, the interferon produced to fight the virus is very important. To increase its production, Anaferon will help you. This drug is available in the form of a child and an adult drug, the difference is only in the amount of active ingredient in 1 tablet. In what way it will help the body cope during infection with the tick-borne encephalitis virus.

According to the pharmacological properties of Anaferon, this drug has a broad spectrum antiviral effect. Small doses of antibodies to human interferon gamma were taken as the active substance of the drug. Such a very low dose of these antibodies retains the full effectiveness of the drug in a viral infection. That is, it can be noted that Anaferon, regardless of the form of release, has antiviral and immunomodulatory properties. They are able to activate human immune cells that will respond not to the tick-borne encephalitis virus.

With the help of additionally produced antibodies, the concentration of the virus in the affected tissues decreases.

To determine the effectiveness of Anaferon, a number of clinical studies were conducted by medical scientists in St. Petersburg and the Urals.

During vaccination, as a preventive measure, the virus is injected into the body in small doses, so that the body itself develops immunity against encephalitis.

Anaferon tablets have a similar effect. But here there is no artificial infection of the body, but only the production of immune cells, which will later be prepared to fight when an infection enters the bloodstream.

Children's Anaferon predisposes to the same action, but in quantities that are indicated and calculated for children in the instructions for use.

Measures to prevent tick-borne encephalitis

Preventive measures against tick bites and dangerous consequences can be specific and non-specific.

The first ones include:

1. General vaccination. This procedure is carried out according to a specially developed scheme. The first injection is administered in the fall, then in the winter, and then a year later. Re-vaccination can be done in 3-5 years.
2. Passage of emergency vaccination. It is made for one season. For this, two injections of immunoglobulin are given with a break of two weeks. Such a procedure is carried out by people who need to be present in a high-risk area.

The second group of measures should include:

1. Avoid places of excessive accumulation of ticks, especially in April, May.
2. When hiking in nature, you need to use effective and proven repellents.
3. Wear special clothes or preferably with long sleeves, a belt and a hood. In general, take into account all the rules that will protect you from crawling an insect under your clothes.
4. If you are still bitten by a tick, then you need to know how to pull it out so that the head does not remain in the skin or the tick is not crushed.
5. Treat the bitten place immediately, and then go to the medical center.

If you follow at least such simple rules, you will protect yourself and your loved ones from the harm that can be caused by a tick.

Conclusion

If you know about an upcoming trip to nature, a lake, a forest, etc., then try to pack properly.

If during the passage of the company of vaccinations against ticks you decide that you do not need it, but know then it will be too late. If, nevertheless, for some reason you did not give an injection, then at least drink Anaferon, how to do this, the instructions will help you.

Video: Aeaferon for children