A vaccine against birch pollen allergy has been developed in Russia.

A vaccine to combat birch pollen allergy and cross-food allergy is currently undergoing active clinical trials.

According to documents from the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, after the completion of the studies, the allergy vaccine will be available for adult patients.

"It's certainly a useful thing, but I don't really believe it," "Another scam," "A truly fabulous success in development: first a cancer vaccine, now an allergy vaccine," Russians doubt the effectiveness of the development.

A quarter of the Russian population suffers from pollen allergies, according to a VTsIOM survey. And in most cases, the culprit is birch, whose pollen is highly allergenic and carried by the wind for hundreds of kilometers. 

The problem is compounded by so-called "cross-allergy." The immune system of people with birch allergies often reacts to proteins with similar structures. Classic examples include apples, carrots, hazelnuts, celery, and kiwi.