Effectiveness of the intranasal recombinant interferon α-2b-based medicine for the prevention of ARVI in perinatal centre medical workers

This paper presents the effectiveness assessment results of the intranasal recombinant interferon α-2b-based medicine (IFN‑α2b) for the prevention of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) in perinatal centre medical workers. Objective. To assess the effectiveness of the original intranasal recombinant IFN-α2b-based medicine (Grippferon®) for the prevention of ARVI to ensure the epidemiological safety of the perinatal centre medical workers. Patients and methods. A prospective analytical cohort study was conducted, involving 100 perinatal center medical workers. The main group (n = 50) received intranasal recombinant IFN-α2b-based medicine for the prevention of ARVI, while the comparison group (n = 50) did not receive this preventive medicine. Active medical observation and questionnaires were used to monitor the participants for 30 days, with symptoms of ARVI recorded. Results. The frequency of ARVI in the main group was statistically significantly lower, than in the comparison group (40.0 vs. 220.0 per 1000 people). The preventive use of the interferon-based medicine showed a high effectiveness. The frequency of ARVI in the main group who used the medicine Grippferon® preventively was significantly lower (by 5.5 times), than in the comparison group (an effectiveness index of 5.5 and preventive effectiveness coefficient of 82%). In isolated cases of ARVI in the main group the infectious process was mild: without the development of fever (body temperature did not exceed 36.8°C) and with a reduction in the symptom duration by an average of 2.3 days compared to the control group. Conclusion. The use of intranasal recombinant IFN-α2b-based medicine (Grippferon®) effectively reduces ARVI incidence among medical workers, alleviates the disease course and shortens symptom duration. Key words: acute respiratory viral infections, perinatal centre, medical workers, prevention, effectiveness, recombinant interferon α-2b, Grippferon®