1977 russian flu 1977 russian flu the 1977 russian flu was an influenza pandemic that was first reported by the soviet union in 1977 and lasted until 1979. the outbreak in northern china started in may 1977, slightly earlier than that in the soviet union. the pandemic mostly affected a population younger than 25 or 26 years of age, and resulted in approximately 700,000 deaths worldwide. it was caused by an h1n1 flu strain which highly resembled a virus strain circulating worldwide from 1946 to 1957. genetic analysis and several unusual characteristics of the 1977 russian flu have prompted many researchers to say that the virus was released to the public through a laboratory accident, or resulted from a live-vaccine trial escape. influenza (flu) types avian a/h5n1 subtype canine equine swine a/h1n1 subtype vaccines 2009 pandemic pandemrix live attenuated seasonal flu vaccine brands treatment amantadine baloxavir marboxil laninamivir oseltamivir peramivir rimantadine umifenovir zanamivir pandemics 1889-1890 russian flu 1918 spanish flu 1957-1958 asian flu 1968 hong kong flu 1977 russian flu 2009 swine flu outbreaks 1976 swine flu 2006 h5n1 india 2007 australian equine 2007 bernard matthews h5n1 2008 west bengal 2015 united states h5n2 outbreak 2020–2022 h5n8 outbreak