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Ukraine- H1N1 Outbreak October 27 2009 - November 30 2009

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  • Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 356 Total cases: 1,540,514



    Flu slows down Kyiv
    Today at 22:50 | Kateryna Grushenko Affected by quarantine and panic, life in Kyiv has been subdued in the past few weeks.

    The influenza epidemic stormed into the lives of Kyivans at the end of October, chasing them off the lively streets, crowded subways, buses and busy cafes. Since then, as a national quarantine remained in place on Nov. 19, the rhythm and vibrations of Kyiv life have been seriously disrupted.

    The metro broadcast messages about the importance of wearing a mask in public places. Doctors and politicians warned about the dangers and how to prevent the H1N1 flu virus. And the rising death toll added to the fear, fury and fever, prompting people to talk about little else.

    In the first days of the epidemics, modern pharmacies transformed into Soviet-time shops with noisy lines and a deficit on the most-needed goods ? anti-viral medications, antipyretics and masks. After people had made stocked up, the buying crazy slowed down. But flu medicines are still hard to find.

    ?Come earlier in the morning when we have a delivery, we sold out everything,? said Nina Alekseeva from a pharmacy on Volodymyrska at 11 a.m., two hours they opened for the day.

    Public transportation emptied out as only those who had to commute to work took it. They rode with more comfort and elbow room. But those who dared to sneeze or caught in front of people and not wear a mask were given angry looks.

    While some enjoyed the lesser crowds, business owners complained that their clientele declined significantly.

    The drivers of the mini-buses dubbed marshrutkas complained that life in the times of the flu epidemic became harder for them and yielded smaller profits.

    ?Our bosses checked that we wash cars every day with some chlorine smelling liquid that they give us which smells really bad,? said Anatoliy Klimenko, a Route 12 marshrutka driver. ?The amount of passengers is down 40 percent, because students don?t take my bus anymore.?

    The Ukrainian government closed schools and universities for at least three weeks, providing thousands of youngsters with an unexpected bonus of free time.

    ?Podil is the university hub and many students used to come up to our place to have coffee between classes. But now, 30 percent of our clientele is gone,? said Mikhail Rodionov, manager of Coffee House on Podil.

    Trendy restaurants also complained about the lack of customers. ?People are now paranoid about the epidemic. They think they make a big risk coming for dinner to even a superb restaurant, but it?s not true,? said Yana Zdorenko, deputy director of Planeta Sushi. ?We wash floors and disinfect surfaces two times per day and our personnel are wearing masks.?

    Another trendy restaurant, Marakesh, also sits mostly empty during prime dinner time. ?It?s our second week when we serve dinners for half of the amount of customers we used to have,? said Yulia Sinaevskaya, Marakesh manager.

    Cheaper lunch places like Puzata Khata on the corner near Andriyvsky Uziv are also rather empty. Puzata Khata?s manager Aleksiy Cherdnyk said that customers are coming back because ?they need an inexpensive place to eat,? but business still has not returned to normal.

    ?We give out lemons to our cooks and servers to prevent them from getting sick. Sanitary epidemiological service comes to check on us every day, but we are always doing well and our waiters are healthy,? Cherdnyk said.

    Shopping malls, supermarkets and cinemas were all obliged by the city administration to have their personnel working in masks. Not many of them do. But, according to Natalia Dymchenko, administrator at Columbia outlet in Ukraine shopping mall on Victory Square, the fault lies with shop management. ?We follow the rules and think in the best interests of our clients. It?s our policy. And we don?t want have problems with sanitary epidemiological service,? she added.

    Shop assistants look busier now than a week ago and say that shops have started to make the same profits as in pre-epidemics times.

    ?Customers came back and also many student flock here to spend the free time that they have on quarantine,? said Olena Grigorieva, sales person at PTA clothes shop.

    ?Many parents with kids come to pick up DVDs and video games,? said Zhenya Nikitenko from the music shop at Ukraine shopping mall. ?I guess parents just don?t know how keeps their children occupied [on quarantine],? he added.

    Kishenya supermarket in shopping mall Ukraine obviously took the sanitary epidemiological service prescriptions seriously: all the personnel were in masks and the floors were freshly washed.

    Across the road from Kishenya, in the Silpo supermarket, the situation is the opposite. Almost no sales assistants have masks and those who have, pull them down from their faces.

    Kateryna Grushenko can be reached at grushenko@kyivpost.com

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    • Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 356 Total cases: 1,540,514



      Panic eases even as flu deaths rise
      Today at 22:41 | Kateryna Grushenko As the government on Nov. 19 announced an end to a three-week national shutdown of universities and schools, panic over the flu epidemic subsided somewhat in Ukraine.

      Health authorities said they doubted whether a new, deadly strain of the virus existed in Ukraine. They also said the fatality rate is in line with neighboring Poland and Russia. Moreover, officials have confirmed only 225 cases of H1N1, or swine flu, including 17 deaths.

      Those findings, plus the anticipated reopening of schools and universities soon, are likely to ease anxiety over the outbreak that since Oct. 29 has claimed at least 340 lives, victims of flu or acute respiratory diseases.


      However, concerns remain high because the death toll is likely to grow higher and 1.5 million people remained sick as of Nov. 18. Moreover, health officials expect a second wave of the outbreak in December or January.

      The H1N1 virus from Ukraine was sampled and tested by Medical Research Council Labs in England. The results revealed no significant differences with the flu strains in other countries.

      Experts say that immunization remains the most effective way to protect oneself from either seasonal or swine flu.

      Vaccines against seasonal flu are widely available in Ukraine and shots against H1N1 are on their way to the country. The first shipment of 930,000 vaccines and one million syringes is to arrive to Ukraine at the beginning of December. The vaccines will be donated to Ukraine by the World Health Organization, as part of a support program for most-affected nations.

      ?There will be more vaccines coming later on to Ukraine, because the idea is to provide H1N1 vaccination for 10 per cent of the population, ? said Christian Lindmeier, a WHO spokesperson in Ukraine. ?It?s up to the Ukrainian government to decide how to use the vaccines, but the WHO recommends vaccinating health care workers, pregnant women, children and people with underlying health conditions in the first place.?

      ?Vaccines is the only thing that we lack now,? said Mykhailo Valuk, the chief doctor of Kyiv clinical hospital ? 9, one of a few adult hospitals admitting patients suspected of having H1N1 flu. This hospital treated the first two cases of H1N1 in Ukraine.

      The hospital has a separate department for flu patients with 85 beds, 80 of which are currently occupied. The intensive care unit for infectious patients has six beds and five are now occupied. There are three respirators in the hospital; one is in use by a woman with pneumonia, a complication of the H1N1 virus.


      As soon as a patient arrives to the hospital with flu-like symptoms, they are tested for the H1N1 virus, their lungs are X-rayed and medications ? such as Tamiflu and others ? are given. If the H1N1 test comes positive, the patient is isolated.

      Out 208 tests given by hospital ? 9 for for H1N1, only nine came back positive. Seven of those patients have already been released while one died from viral pneumonia/

      ?The flu now is not as bad as in previous years and H1N1 is not worse than other strains. There is only one nuance ? if a person develops viral pneumonia out of H1N1, it goes very fast and it?s extremely difficult to treat,? Valuk said. It was the panic, not the epidemic, that made Ukrainians buy out all the drugs from the pharmacies,? Valuk said. ?Swine flu became politicized; everybody was trying hard to look like the nation?s savior."

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      • Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 356 Total cases: 1,540,514

        An important fact here: Apparently, before H1N1 hit, Ukraine reported about 4,000 deaths in nine months due to seasonal flu, other seasonal pathogens, and bacterial pneumonia. So even as the H1N1 outbreak slows down, we might expect to see about 15 deaths per day due to seasonal causes.



        Lift quarantine
        Today at 22:42 | Editorial The government should let the nation get back to normal lives by lifting the quarantine.

        Panic subsides

        As the Kyiv Post went to print on Nov. 19, health authorities announced that they would lift a national quarantine imposed three weeks ago to slow the spread of a flu epidemic. All of the nation?s schools, universities and kindergartens had been waiting for the government to approve the reopening of schools and the return of students. We agree that life should return to normal as soon as possible.

        The swine flu and other seasonal ailments have taken more than 300 lives since Oct. 29 and likely will claim hundreds more. It?s also true that the epidemic is far from over in Ukraine. More than one million are sick and a second wave of the flu is expected as early as December.

        But it also seems that the epidemic has slowed, with fatalities and infection rates on par with previous years. Furthermore, lab test results give reason for encouragement that a deadlier mutant strain of the swine flu virus is not present in Ukraine.

        Life goes on and should go on more normally for a nation that has endured tragedy, fear and disruption since late October. Germs spread. Viruses are unavoidable. People should still take precautions, such as wearing masks in public to minimize exposure. People also should check with their doctors to see if vaccination is a good idea.

        But, unless the epidemic takes a sudden turn for the worse, a return to the normal pace of life in Kyiv is welcome. We are sadder for the deaths, but also hopefully wiser about what needs to be done to prevent future ones.

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        • Re: Ukraine - H1N1 outbreak - Outline, summaries, official news

          Ukraine's Health Ministry reported 354 deaths from influenza

          November 20, 2009,
          Вставить в блог

          Flu epidemic in Ukraine as of the evening on November 19 claimed the lives of 354 people, the website of the Ministry of Health. Flu epidemic in Ukraine started in late October. During this time ill on 1 миллион 540 тысяч 514 people.

          MEMO WHO HIGHLY FLU

          "How can I protect myself from the virus of swine influenza type A/H1N1?"
          According to recent data, 255 confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1, 17 - with fatal consequences. Physicians ascertain the stabilization of the situation with the incidence of influenza and SARS.

          It is possible that by the end of the week in the country will be lifted quarantine imposed in late October, which for more than two weeks, not to teach in schools, reports RIA Novosti.

          Эпидемия гриппа на Украине по состоянию на вечер 19 ноября унесла жизни 354 человек, сообщает сайт Минздрава. Эпидемия гриппа на Украине началась в конце октября. За это время заболели 1 миллион 540 тысяч 514 человек.
          ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
          Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

          ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

          Comment


          • Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 356 Total cases: 1,540,514

            Kyiv sanitary station recommends to cancel quarantine at educational establishments next week

            Yesterday at 20:06 | Interfax-Ukraine
            The Kyiv sanitary and epidemiological station recommends the Kyiv city state administration to cancel the quarantine at kindergartens, schools, and universities in the city from Nov. 25, according to the press service of the Kyiv city state administration.

            The city sanitary and epidemiological station grounds its recommendation on the downward tendency in new cases of flu and acute respiratory viral infections in Kyiv.

            The station, on the ground of the sickness rates,expects the sickness rate to be only 4% higher than the epidemiological threshold on Nov. 23 - 94-96 patients per 10,000 people.

            Meantime, the Kyiv city state administration notes that the final decision on cancellation of quarantine will be endorsed by the epidemiological commission with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

            The Kyiv authorities closed all schools, kindergartens, and universities for quarantine from Nov. 2 until a special decision.


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            • Re: Ukraine - H1N1 outbreak - Outline, summaries, official news

              Influenza in Ukraine claimed the lives of 381 people - Ministry of Health

              11:05 23/11/2009

              KIEV, Nov. 23 - RIA Novosti, Alain Мейта. Flu epidemic and SARS claimed the lives of 381 Ukrainians, including the last night of complications from the flu deaths of seven people, according to data published by the Ministry of Health to the Ministry's website late the previous evening.

              Influenza epidemic began in Ukraine in late October. During this time, more than 1,608 became ill million people were hospitalized 95.36 thousand people. In recent days hospitalized 1,495 thousand people, 226 patients are in intensive care, 27 - mechanical ventilation.

              Earlier it was reported that 255 confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1, 17 of them - with fatal consequences.

              In the published data of Ministry of Health information on swine influenza is not provided.


              Эпидемия гриппа и ОРВИ унесла жизни 381 украинца, в том числе за последние сутки от осложнений после гриппа скончались семь человек, говорится в опубликованных данных Минздрава на сайте министерства накануне поздно вечером.
              ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
              Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

              ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

              Comment


              • Re: Ukraine - H1N1 outbreak - Outline, summaries, official news

                Quarantine ends in educational institutions of Kyiv on Nov. 25

                All educational institutions and kindergartens will resume work on Wednesday, November 25.

                The state anti-epidemic committee took the relevant decision at its sitting on Friday, the press service of the Kyiv City State Administration reported.

                "The quarantine at all schools and higher educational institutions of Kyiv will end on November 25. The work of all kindergartens will be resumed," First Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration Irena Kylchytska said.

                According to her, the committee has taken this decision because the infection rate of flu and acute respiratory disease has decreased among the population of the city.

                The chief state sanitary doctor of Kyiv on November 19 sent Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky a proposal to end the quarantine at educational institutions of the city on November 25.




                Nine districts in Chernihiv Oblast prolong secondary and higher school holidays after Nov. 23

                November 22, 2009 | Ukrainian News

                Nine districts in the city and region of Chernihiv prolong holidays at secondary schools and higher education establishments after November 23, the day when are ending the three-week holidays introduced by the Cabinet of Ministers, the region's chief sanitary officer, Mykola Donets, announced on November 21 at a meeting of the state emergency commission at Chernihiv regional state administration.

                Chernihiv, exceeds the epidemiological threshold by 10%, the district of Sribne by 40% and eight more districts of the region exceed the epidemiological threshold," he said.

                He says the districts of Bakhmach, Borbovytsia, Horodnia, Kulykivka, Mena, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Semenivka, Sribne, Schors and the city of Chernihiv exceed the epidemiological threshold.

                Donets stressed, monitoring the epidemiological situation in the mentioned areas from November 21 to 24 would show whether to extend the holidays or to resume lessons.

                He also said, since improvement of the epidemiological situation in 13 districts and two towns educational establishments would resume work from November 23. These are, particularly, Borzna district, Varva district, Ichnia district, Kozelets district, Korop district, Koriukivka district, Nizhyn district, Nosivka district, Pryluky district, Sosnytsia district, Talalaivka district, Chernihiv district, and also in the towns of Nizhyn and Pryluky.

                In these districts and towns, Donets added, lessons will be resumed in educational nursery establishments without provision of certificates of children's health but under supervision of doctors.

                As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Cabinet of Ministers on October 30 imposed quarantine in nine regions because of the epidemic of the A(H1N1) influenza.

                Besides, the government banned mass events and introduced holidays at schools and high education establishments for the period of three weeks.

                On November 20, nine regions and the city of Kyiv prolonged the holidays at schools and higher educational establishments after November 23.

                But no final decision was made for Chernihiv region, it was delayed until November 21 as in spite of a positive epidemic tendency the accidence rate was although on the threshold level.

                ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

                Comment


                • Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 356 Total cases: 1,540,514

                  Number of victims of influenza and SARS rose in Ukraine up to 381 people as of Saturday evening.

                  According to the Ministry of Health, over the past day from the disease and complications (pneumonia), 7 people died.

                  The total number of cases since the epidemic began was 1 million 608 thousand 603 people, the last night - 9500 people.

                  Since the beginning of the epidemic were hospitalized, 95 361 people, of whom the last night - 1495 people. To date issued, 66 788 patients.


                  Comment


                  • Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 381 Total cases: 1,608,000

                    Glavsanvrach Lugansk: We identified 13 strains of influenza viruses

                    Lugansk.proUA.com / 23.11.2009 13:45

                    Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Lugansk region, Anatoly Dokashenko believes that Ukraine still waiting for two waves of influenza. He stated this at a briefing today, BelTA Lugansk.proUA.com.

                    According to Anatoly Dokashenko, today marked reduction in the incidence of SARS and influenza.

                    "To date we have recorded in the volume of influenza below the threshold, with significantly lower thresholds" - he said.

                    Anatoly Dokashenko added that at the Luhansk region identified several strains of influenza.

                    "We have identified 13 strains of influenza viruses. And influenza is different. Well, including A/H1N1, we also isolated. He is circulating a long time. Even from a donor, we were isolated. But not a virus, we isolated and confirmed serologically ... This factor works for us, because the longer this kind of virus is circulating, the less severe the consequences ", - told the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Luhansk region.

                    According to him, we are now in a phase of reduction of morbidity. And reduce the "we all of December."

                    Nevertheless, he added that "we expect that will rise in incidence in late January, early February."

                    "The fact that we now deduct the quarantine - this does not mean that you need to relax and do nothing. We will work harder, because we expect this one here period, 2-S wave (flu - Ed.). And in autumn 2010, according to our calculations, perhaps even a third wave ", - said Anatoly
                    Dokashenko.

                    He also said that "There is this epidemic, which now is a slight seasonal rise in comparison with what will be."


                    Comment


                    • Re: Ukraine - H1N1 outbreak - Outline, summaries, official news



                      Two Russian scientists banned from visiting Ukraine for one year
                      Today at 13:16 | Interfax-Ukraine
                      Ukraine's Security Service has banned two Russian scientists from entering the country without offering any explanation.

                      The two Russians will not be able to visit Ukraine for one year starting from November 12, 2009 on the basis of Clause 25 of Ukrainian law that regulates the legal status of foreign citizens and stateless persons, a spokesman for the Security Service told Interfax.

                      The Russian Foreign Ministry has denounced the Ukrainian authorities' decision.

                      Scientists Vladimir Frolov and Yelena Meskova were stopped at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport.

                      They planned to attend a Kyiv-based international forum on key problems of youth policy of Ukraine and Russia that was organized by non-governmental organizations, the Russian ministry said.

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                      • Re: Ukraine - H1N1 outbreak - Outline, summaries, official news

                        Health Ministry confirms 414 deaths from flu

                        Today at 10:11 | Ukrainian News The Health Ministry has confirmed that 414 people have died of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in 24 regions, Kyiv city, and the Crimean Autonomous Republic as of Nov. 26, according to the statement by the ministry.

                        Since Oct. 29, 94 deaths have been confirmed in Lviv region, 43 in Ivano-Frankivsk region, 25 in the Chernivtsi region, 24 in Ternopil region, 27 in Donetsk region, 24 in Kyiv, 22 in Khmelnytskyi region, 19 in Kyiv region, 19 in Chernihiv region, 17 in Volyn region, and 12 in Zakarpattia region.

                        Moreover, 11 of confirmed deaths were in Rivne region, 12 in Poltava region, nine in Vinnytsia region, nine in Dnipropetrovsk region, seven in each Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, six in each Zhytomyr and Kirovohrad regions, five in Kherson region, four in Zaporizhia region.

                        In addition, one death was confirmed in the Crimea, one in Sevastopol, one in Mykolaiv region, one in Luhansk region, and one in Odesa region.

                        Ten people have died in the past 24 hours.

                        In total, 1,751,546 people have contracted influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections since Oct. 29, including 34,982 in the past 24 hours.

                        Since the beginning of the epidemic, 104,332 people have been hospitalized, out of whom 79,397 have been discharged from hospital.
                        As it was earlier reported, the Health Ministry had confirmed 404 deaths from influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in 24 regions, Kyiv city, and the Crimea as of Nov. 25.

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                        • Re: Ukraine - H1N1 outbreak - Outline, summaries, official news

                          Influenza epidemic in Kiev ended

                          30/11/2009

                          KIEV, Nov. 30 - RIA Novosti, Alain Мейта.


                          Kyiv Sanitary-Epidemiological Service (SES) said that in the Ukrainian capital over the epidemic of influenza, reported on Monday by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN referring to information from the city supply system.

                          Experts informed that during the period from 23 to 29 November morbidity of the population of Kiev has decreased in 1,4 times in comparison with the same period the previous week.

                          Chickenpox flu and colds 18 thousand 166 people, against 25 thousand 533 last week, including 6 thousand 817 children under 14 years (37.5%).

                          Sanepidservice notes that the incidence declined in all age groups. Last week, 620 hospitalized patients, including children under 14 years - 271 people. Incidence rates among students is not increasing.

                          "Morbidity 48-th week (23-29 November) to 1.6 times lower epidporoga. Thus, morbidity in Kiev ended a flu epidemic, which lasted 4 weeks," - said the report of the Kiev SEA.

                          Epidemic of influenza and SARS was declared by Ukraine on October 29. During this time, about 1,811 million sick people. Number of deaths from flu in Ukraine as of the evening on November 29 reached 424 persons.

                          Also in the country confirmed 255 cases of "swine" influenza, 17 of them - with fatal consequences.


                          Most regions of the country is currently out of epidemic level.

                          Подводя итоги хаджа 2009 года, руководитель Центральной комиссии по проведению хаджа, эмир региона Мекки Халед Аль-Фейсал заявил, что численность нелегальных паломников в этом году достигла 753 тысяч человек, сообщили сегодня саудовские СМИ.
                          ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                          Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                          ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

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