Russian flu

Russian health authorities are reported to have declared an outbreak of Siberian flu a Covid-style plague, according to a segment aired on Times Radio featuring commentator Dominic Hauschild. The claim has drawn wide attention, with listeners debating the severity of the outbreak and how comparable it is to the coronavirus pandemic. No official confirmation or further detail from Russian officials is included in the coverage.

A Nautilus article revisits the 1977 "Russian flu" outbreak, arguing it was triggered by an accidental release of a laboratory virus strain rather than a natural emergence. The H1N1 strain that reappeared that year closely matched viruses circulating decades earlier, a finding long cited as evidence of a lab origin. The piece explores what the episode reveals about laboratory safety and pandemic risk.