MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. The H1N1 flu strain, commonly known as swine flu, which is particularly harmful, will hit Russia hard this year, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said on Wednesday.

"Yes, this year, flu came to stay. The most unpleasant thing in this situation that it is precisely the flu variant which causes the most serious damage to health. This is the flu A virus (H1N1) of the pandemic year of 2009, in 2009, it emerged for the first time as a type of flu with high spread potential and triggered the 2009-2020 pandemic," she said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel.

The top sanitary doctor noted that preventive measures include masks, clean hands, face and gadgets as well as clear respiratory passages. "If you returned from a location where there were other people, a lot of them or even not many, it is necessary to wash your face and hands and rinse nasal passages simply with clear water. And this lowers the risk and to a certain extent protects against the disease," she added.

Popova also recommended to stay at home in the event of sickness.