Prevention of ARVI in newborns and their mothers under pandemic conditions of new coronavirus infection

Bocharova, I. I.; Zarochentseva, N. V.; Aksenov, A. N.; Malinovskaya, V. V.; Vyzhlova, E. N.; Semenenko, T. A.; Suvorov, A. Yu

Objective. To study the prophylactic effectiveness of the intranasal application of VIFERON®, the gel for external and local use (interferon α-2b) 36,000 IU/g, against ARVI in newborns and their mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and methods. A total of 227 mother–newborn couples were examined, randomized into three groups: Group 1 (n = 63) – the VIFERON® gel was used according to the instructions;Group 2 (n = 50) – the VIFERON® gel was used in violation of the recommended scheme;Group 3 (control, n = 114) – did not use the medication. The main criteria for the effectiveness of prevention were: the incidence of ARVI in a mother–child couple for 3 months after inclusion in the study;the duration and severity of clinical symptoms of the disease;evaluation of the frequency of adverse events associated with the use of the drug under study. Results. The use of the VIFERON® gel led to a decrease in the number of ARVI cases in mothers (11.1 and 14.9%) and newborns (7.9 and 20.2%;p = 0.034) in Group 1 compared with Group 3, respectively, as well as to a significant reduction in the duration of the disease (p = 0.001), a decrease in the severity of clinical symptoms: the level of hyperthermia (p = 0.015), the duration of febrile (p = 0.021), cough (p = 0.032), rhinitis (p = 0.033). There were no statistically significant differences between these indicators in Groups 2 and 3, which requires to follow drug instructions in order to achieve the maximum effect. The timing of onset of diseases in Group 1 in the third month of observation from the beginning of drug administration makes it possible to justify the need for repeated courses of prophylaxis at high risk of respiratory diseases. In 100% of cases, the drug was well tolerated, and there were no adverse effects. Conclusion. The high preventive efficacy and safety of interferon α-2b with antioxidants in the form of gel for external and local use (VIFERON®, gel) in newborns and their mothers against ARVI were proved, which makes it possible to recommend its use to prevent the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in newborns and confirms the validity of its inclusion in clinical guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19 in children.