Is Russia facing a mystery ‘Covid-like’ virus that makes patients cough up blood? – Firstpost

Reports have emerged of a mysterious ‘Covid-like’ virus spreading in Russia, which has left patients experiencing severe fever and coughing up blood.

One woman told local media that by the fifth day of her illness, she started coughing up blood – and antibiotics had no effect.

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The first mention of the outbreak appeared in the Telegram group ‘SHOT’, which is said to include members of Russia’s federal agencies. Local media later picked up the story.

In this story, we look at what is known about the virus, what local media is saying, and whether Russian authorities have made any official statement on the alleged outbreak.

What is the “mystery blood-spluttering virus” allegedly spreading in Russia?

Reports have surfaced about an “unidentified” virus causing patients to “cough up blood” in Russia.

According to local media and social media posts, the illness starts with symptoms similar to Covid, including fatigue and muscle aches.

However, within five days, these escalate into a high fever of up to 39°C (102.2°F) and a persistent cough, sometimes accompanied by blood.

Posts on Telegram, Russia’s messaging platform, suggest cases have been reported in multiple cities, Daily Mail reported. Patients have described experiencing prolonged fevers, body aches, and a severe cough that lingers for weeks.

Some reports claim that those affected have tested negative for Covid and flu, with doctors recording their condition as an “acute upper respiratory tract infection of unspecified origin”.

A Telegram post from March 29, which has been viewed over 430,000 times, warned of a possible outbreak. One account featured a woman named Alexandra, who said she had fallen ill with the unidentified virus.

According to Daily Mail, a translated excerpt from the post read: “An unknown virus has appeared in Russia. As SHOT has learned, those infected have been suffering from high fever and severe coughing up blood for weeks, while they have negative tests for Covid and flu.

“The symptoms of those who fall ill are the same: it all starts with the usual aches and weakness, but after a couple of days the virus ‘cuts down’ and it is impossible to get out of bed. Accompanied by a temperature of up to 39 degrees, Russians note a severe cough to tears.”

Alexandra said that despite taking antibiotics, her coughing continued for a week, and on the fifth day, she noticed blood in her cough.

The post suggested she might have “mycoplasma pneumoniae”. It is a bacterial infection that can cause flu-like symptoms and pneumonia.

The symptoms described – initial fatigue and aches, followed by fever and a debilitating cough.

Often referred to as ‘walking pneumonia,’ the illness makes people sick but not necessarily bedridden.

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Mainstream Russian outlets, including Lenta.ru and Newizv.ru, have covered the reports of a mystery virus, while also noting the lack of confirmation from state health authorities.

Newizv.ru cited comments from people who had shared their symptoms in response to a Telegram post by Moscow Live about the outbreak.

One person wrote: “It’s a nightmare, my ribs are already hurting from the cough, it’s impossible to eat, sometimes even the medications make me feel sick.”

Another added: “The cough hasn’t gone away for over a month, the fever lasted for almost three weeks. I got over Covid much easier.”

International experts have been unable to verify the reports, but some have warned that the situation in Russia is deeply political, Daily Mail reported.

Sharon Sanders, an independent disease tracker who helped monitor the early spread of Covid, shared her concerns on FluTrackers, writing: “Just a reminder… the Russia situation is very political. And disease propaganda has been used in the past – globally.”

“I have no idea if this is a big deal or a typical disease outbreak.”

How has Russia responded?

Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s public health agency, has dismissed the claims.

In a statement, the agency said that there was “no evidence of a new or unidentified virus circulating on the territory of the Russian Federation”.

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“Currently, the epidemiological situation in the Russian Federation for a group of respiratory infections, including SARS, influenza, Covid-19 and community-acquired pneumonia, is stable and fully controlled. There is a decrease in the incidence rate. The epidemiological situation for this group of infections in Moscow is also stable.”

It further added that “ongoing epidemiological monitoring and genomic surveillance in Russia” have not detected any new viruses or significant mutations.

Gennady Onishchenko, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the Russian news agency TASS, “Most likely, there is no virus there, let’s not hype it up now, but let’s look at the data of at least one study. The most important thing is where this virus is, where these diseases were registered.”