Ukraine- H1N1 Outbreak October 27 2009 - November 30 2009

[B.C.]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53041/

World Health Organization: Initial tests show no mutation in H1N1 virus samples from Ukraine

Today at 20:55

Preliminary tests of the H1N1 pandemic virus samples taken from Ukrainian patients haven't exposed any signs of mutation, experts of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

"The preliminary genetic studies have shown that the virus is similar to the virus, against which there have been developed a pandemic vaccine, the vaccine, which has proved to be efficient at present," the statement reads.

Experts examined a total of 34 samples in two laboratories in London, the UK, and in the state of Georgia, the U.S.

According to the Ukrainian Health Ministry, the current flu epidemic and other acute respiratory diseases in Ukraine has claimed 328 lives by Tuesday evening.

It said 12 people, including two pregnant women and a child, had died of such diseases in the previous 24 hours.

 

[Roehl_JC]

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

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

The Ukraine plague / flu still spreads throughout the Ukraine as there are now 1457564 Infected people in the Ukraine whereof 83026 have been to hospital and 328 people have now died because of this unknown disease spreading through the Ukraine.

There is a lot of anger because the World Health Organization is still to release the gene sequencing and many people say this is because they are hiding something. Whether or not that is true I cant tell but the truth is that they have not said anything since the 13 of November about the Ukraine according to our data.

56565 People have been infected since yesterday, this is still spreading rapidly

http://fto.co.za/news/ukraine-plagu...-people-infected-yesterday-2009111715819.html

 

[hawkeye]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Thanks B.C.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53041/

"The preliminary genetic studies have shown that the virus is similar to the virus, against which there have been developed a pandemic vaccine, the vaccine, which has proved to be efficient at present," the statement reads.

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Lviv now has only about 2500 hospitalized, and now no oblast has more than 41 in ICU (257 total, much lower than any previous day). Lviv has only reported 2 deaths total in the past 5 days. Still no more than 7 on respirator in any oblast (now just 38 total).

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

And the WHO article has generated a ProMed post. Hopefully this will stop some of the wretched sources from writing more junk.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,80131

Archive Number 20091117.3970
Published Date 17-NOV-2009
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (106): Ukraine, WHO


INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (106): UKRAINE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Tue 17 Nov 2009
Source: World Health Organisation (WHO), CSR, disease Outbreak News [edited]
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_11_16/en/index.html>


Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Ukraine -- WHO Update 2
---------------------------------------------
As of 17 Nov 2009, preliminary tests reveal no significant changes in
the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus based on investigations of samples
taken from patients in Ukraine. Analyses are being performed by 2 WHO
influenza collaborating centres as part of the global influenza
surveillance network. Preliminary genetic sequencing shows that the
virus is similar to the virus used for production of the pandemic
influenza vaccine, reconfirming the vaccine's efficacy at this time.
Additional questions about the pandemic virus circulating in Ukraine
will be answered as more data is available.

The WHO commends the government of Ukraine for its open sharing of
samples to inform global monitoring of the virus for signs of change.
A total of 34 samples were analysed independently by the WHO
Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Mill
Hill in London, UK, and the WHO Collaborating Centre for the
Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Marianne Hopp

[This statement from WHO has scotched some of the wilder rumours
regarding the identity of the agent responsible for the current
outbreak of influenza and acute respiratory illness in Ukraine. The
genome sequencing analyses carried out in the UK and the USA indicate
that the Ukrainian outbreak is an extension of the 2009 pandemic of
H1N1 influenza spreading eastwards through Europe and beyond. - Mod.CP]

[see also:
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (105): rhinovirus interference 20091117.3969
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (104): pandemic activity 20091116.3961
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (103): Ukraine 20091116.3959
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (102): Iran 20091115.3946
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (101): Afghanistan, Pakistan 20091115.3945
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (100): Ukraine (DT) 20091114.3940
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (90): Venezuela, Yanomami 20091105.3820
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (80): Ukraine susp. RFI 20091031.3764
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (70): Nepal 20091016.3563
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (60): bacterial coinfection 20090930.3410
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (50): oseltamivir-resistance 20090917.3260
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (40): global update 20090906.3138
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (30): assumptions 20090813.2879
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (20): Peru, 33 percent
asymptomatic 20090730.2668
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (10): vaccine 20090720.2577
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Viet Nam: patient data 20090708.2450]
....................cp/ejp/dk

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

I would think H1N1 would be more severe in an immunocompromised population.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/ukraines-outbreak-of-ineptitude/article1367149/

Ukraine's outbreak of ineptitude

The epidemic comes at a bad time for Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. AFP/Getty Images
The Tymoshenko government's response to H1N1 could be a factor in January's election
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. Article Comments Michael Bociurkiw

Special to Globe and Mail Update
Published on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 6:54PM EST


.Ukrainians are suffering from a double dose of fever: preparations for January's contentious presidential election, and what appears to be a massive outbreak of the potentially deadly H1N1 virus.

Since early November, more than 1.4 million Ukrainians have become ill, about 300 have died and more than 78,000 have been hospitalized. What began as a concentrated epidemic in the country's nationalistic west has now spread nationwide, forcing neighbours such as Moldova and Slovakia to close their borders.

If the deaths are confirmed to be H1N1-related, it would be one of the world's most serious outbreaks of swine flu. Little wonder that Yulia Tymoshenko, the normally unflappable Prime Minister, has reacted in a panic – ordering schools closed, banning public gatherings and cinema showings and even suggesting the quarantine of some western regions.

The epidemic comes at a bad time for Ms. Tymoshenko for two reasons. Her government was caught completely unprepared for an epidemic – there is not one dose of vaccine in the country and little in the way of preventative measures. And, if not handled wisely before January's voting, the crisis could severely damage the stylish front-runner, known for her trademark braided hairpiece.

It should surprise few people that the medical emergency has caught the government off guard. The ministries charged with social services and the well-being of Ukrainians (Health and Family, Youth and Sports) have been weakened under successive governments through major budget cuts and sheer neglect. It's not uncommon to walk into either ministry during the winter and see staff shivering in their coats.

As late as mid-summer, little information was available to the public on how to protect against H1N1. The government ignored many warning signs, including World Health Organization pleas to stockpile drugs, face masks and other flu-fighting materials. When the outbreak hit, Ms. Tymoshenko flippantly advised her people to protect themselves by eating garlic and lemons.

It isn't only H1N1 that has put Ukrainians' lives at stake. The Health Ministry has no contingency plans to replace the nearly nine million doses of expired measles, mumps and rubella vaccine that must be destroyed in coming weeks and months – themselves a legacy from an ill-fated United Nations initiative that got caught up in a miasma of bureaucratic ineptitude, manipulation and attacks from a well-financed anti-vaccination movement.

The government deserves harsh condemnation from neighbouring and European governments for its almost contemptuous handling of public health emergencies. Few would disagree, for example, that Kiev has catastrophically fumbled its response to HIV and AIDS, which is growing faster in Ukraine and Russia than anywhere else outside Africa. According to UNAIDS, Ukraine has the most severe AIDS epidemic in Europe. If progress isn't stepped up soon, the adult prevalence rate could reach a staggering 3.5 per cent by 2014. Young Ukrainians disproportionately bear the brunt of the epidemic: More than 80 per cent of those living with HIV are under 30. According to one estimate, almost 20 per cent of all new cases are children born HIV-positive.

So severe is the AIDS epidemic in Ukraine – it has claimed at least 22,000 lives – that some multilateral institutions say it's contributing to the country's demographic decline. The population has plummeted by about six million since the early 1990s, and according to a new World Bank study, Ukraine has the highest “depopulation rate” for all of Europe. Adult male deaths are at levels comparable to countries with less than one-fifth its per capita GNP.

When NGOs or donors try to help Ukraine, their well-meaning interventions are often stymied by red tape, bureaucratic ineptitude or corruption. Aid destined for needy Ukrainians is routinely delayed, misappropriated or stolen. It's a sad commentary on a country that gained such an enormous reservoir of goodwill in the aftermath of the Orange Revolution. Some people have compared it to a failed state. As one colleague put it: “It's like watching a long, painful sunset.”

Ukraine's challenge is to deal with the social and political issues that contribute to the spread of H1N1 and other epidemics. This includes strengthening ministries that deal with health issues – including boosting their surveillance capabilities and giving them the budgets to stockpile essential drugs. Humanitarian aid from Canadian and other donors needs to be cleared quickly and treated with the sanctity that it deserves. In short, Ukraine needs to behave like a responsible member of the international community by preventing the spread of diseases before they spread out of control and threaten its neighbours.

Canadian Michael Bociurkiw recently completed an eight-month humanitarian mission to Ukraine and is writing a book on the aid business. He is part of the management team of the HUM news agency.

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

From Radio Netherlands. Does contain the error about three viruses mutating together; the correct statement is that the three viruses are co-circulating, not that they have combined.

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/ukraine-paralysed-superflu

Ukraine paralysed by "superflu"
Published on : 17 November 2009 - 5:47pm | By Willemien Groot Filed under: (A) H1N1flu epidemicH1N1Mexican fluswine fluUkraineViktor YushchenkoWHOWorld Health Organisation
In Ukraine, the alarm phase red has been declared. According to the health authorities, the country has been hit by a new influenza virus that?s more dangerous than the swine (H1N1) flu. It seems to be a new variant that has mutated from the California flu and two seasonal flu viruses. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is still treating it as ?normal? swine flu.


Ukrainian doctors who examined two victims spoke of ?lungs as black as charcoal?. This description ties in with earlier reports from hospitals on the west of Ukraine. A record number of people have been admitted with very serious bronchial infections, especially pneumonia. Most of the patients reported to a doctor far too late, and died from the effects of the virus.

Life at a standstill
Public life has been a standstill in the former Soviet republic for several weeks as a result of the severe outbreak of flu that has so far cost the lives of 189 people. All public events are forbidden, schools and universities are shut, and a number of border posts with the Czech Republic and Russia have been closed.

The WHO is trying to temper the alarming messages coming out of Ukraine. The first results of a WHO investigation into the 'superflu' did not point to an abnormal situation. Genetic analysis showed that the H1N1 virus was the main cause of the problems. Furthermore, the WHO says it has not mutated, and currently available pandemic vaccine offers sufficient protection.

Government not prepared
The problem is only that Ukraine doesn't have any vaccine. In the run-up to the pandemic the government didn't pay sufficient heed to the warnings. The vaccine was not ordered, and the stocks of antiviral drugs are minimal. There has been absolutely no information provided to the public. For ordinary citizens, good healthcare is seldom available. Even domestic medicines are either unaffordable or sold out.

The opposition accuses President Yushchenko of misusing the flu epidemic. It says that by creating confusion and anxiety, he wants to divert attention from the poor state of the economy. In January, the people are due to go to the polls to elect a new president, but because of the flu political meetings are forbidden.

RNW translation (as)

Lead photo: (c) EPA/Sergey Dolzhenko

 

[JimO]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

I would think H1N1 would be more severe in an immunocompromised population.

I remember reading a report from India where the most severe cases of H1N1 were found in healthy children and that kids on the same wards who were in the hospital for various other problems, including immunocompromised kids, were not getting nearly as sick. I am reminded of the discussions over the summer regarding the fact that the cytokine storm response appeared more often in outwardly healthy people and that perhaps those with less robust immune systems had a more measured response and avoided the deadly immune reaction. Just a thought.

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/ElFi...cId=228793&docTipo=1&orderby=docid&sortby=ASC

WHO dismisses mutation of H1N1 in Ukraine
Alerta por influenza - Martes 17 de noviembre (08:05 hrs.) Flu alert - Tuesday 17 November (08:05 hrs.)




El organismo mundial se?ala que las muestras analizadas de pacientes con gripe A no revelan cambios significativos del virus en ese pa?s The world body noted that the analyzed samples from patients with influenza A revealed no significant changes of the virus in that country


El Financiero en l?nea El Financiero en l?nea

Ginebra, 17 de noviembre.- La Organizaci?n Mundial de la Salud (OMS) afirm? hoy que las muestras preliminares analizadas de pacientes con influenza humana en Ucrania no revelan cambios significativos o mutaciones del virus A/H1N1. Geneva, November 17 .- The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that preliminary samples analyzed from patients with human influenza in Ukraine did not reveal significant changes or mutations in the H1N1 virus.

Gregory Hartl, portavoz de la OMS y experto en la pandemia, se?al? a la prensa que el virus no ha mutado y que "todas las muestras son muy similares al A/H1N1, no se han registrado cambios en el virus". Gregory Hartl, WHO spokesman in the pandemic expert, told reporters that the virus has not mutated and that "all samples are very similar to H1N1, there have been no changes in the virus.

La OMS confirm? as? que el virus causante de la epidemia de gripe A en Ucrania es gen?ticamente similar al que se aisl? en otros pa?ses, descartando el temor de que pudiese haber mutado creando una nueva variante, lo que significar?a poner en duda la utilidad de la vacuna. The WHO confirmed so the virus causing the influenza epidemic in Ukraine is genetically similar to that isolated from other countries, ruling out fears that might have mutated to create a new variant, which would mean questioning the usefulness of the vaccine.

Hartl inform? que las muestras se analizaron en dos laboratorios en Londres y Atlanta, que forman parte de la red del sistema global de vigilancia sobre la influenza. Hartl said the samples were analyzed at two laboratories in London and Atlanta, as part of the network of the global influenza surveillance.

En un reporte publicado este martes, la OMS se?al? que el virus es similar al que se utiliz? para la producci?n de la vacuna contra la pandemia de la influenza, lo cual "reconfirma la eficacia de la vacuna en estos momentos". In a report published Tuesday, the WHO said the virus is similar to that used for the production of vaccines against pandemic influenza, which "reconfirms the effectiveness of the vaccine at this time."

"Quedan muchas cuestiones por resolver, inform? la OMS, el brote en Ucrania puede indicar c?mo se comportar? el virus en el hemisferio norte durante el invierno, sobre todo en los entornos de atenci?n sanitaria caracter?sticos de Europa Oriental", a?adi?. "There are many unresolved issues, WHO said the outbreak in Ukraine may indicate how the virus behaves in the northern hemisphere winter, especially in health care settings characteristic of Eastern Europe", he added.

Seg?n el m?s reciente informe de actualizaci?n de la OMS sobre Ucrania, se han registrado m?s de 250 mil casos de s?ndrome gripal, de los cuales 235 han necesitado cuidados intensivos. According to the latest report of WHO update on Ukraine, there have been over 250 thousand cases of influenza-like illness, of which 235 have required intensive care.

Hasta el pasado 2 de noviembre se hab?an registrado 70 muertos por enfermedad respiratoria aguda (ERA), indic?. Until 2 November there had been 70 deaths by acute respiratory disease (ARD), said.

De acuerdo con las autoridades sanitarias ucranianas, citadas este martes por la prensa local, la cifra de muertos por la epidemia de gripe lleg? este martes a 315, aunque apenas se confirmaron 16 fallecidos por el virus A/H1N1. According to Ukrainian health authorities, quoted Tuesday by local media, the death toll from the flu epidemic came on Tuesday to 315, although only confirmed 16 killed by the H1N1 virus. (Con informaci?n de Notimex/MVC) (Con informaci?n de Notimex / MVC

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

There seems to be a more severe illness in HCW than in the general population. I can think of several factors involved. HCW are more likely to be of age that is hit harder by H1N1 (there are no 6 year old doctors, nor many 75 year old doctors), and may also be more likely to delay treatment by taking antibiotics or self-treating, waiting until they are more ill to be treated. We know there have been at least 9, and likely at least 11 dead HCW.

The fact that this is occurring in several oblasts and not just in one hospital does rule out, IMO, the possiblity of an overlapping outbreak of a more severe disease that would hit HCW first.

http://www.moz.gov.ua/ua/main/press/?docID=14115

Conference call participants discussed the dynamics of the incidence of influenza and ARI among health workers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.11.2009 18/11/2009
Під час селекторної наради, присвяченої вивченню ситуації в країні щодо розповсюдження грипу та ГРВІ, перший заступник міністра охорони здоров'я України Василь Лазоришинець приділив особливу увагу аналізу захворюваності серед медичних працівників. During a telephone conference dedicated to the situation in the country for the spread of influenza and ARI, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Vasyl Lazoryshynets focused analysis of disease among health care workers. Так, станом на 16 листопада 2009 р. захворіло 26 тисяч медичних працівників (2,4% від загальної кількості хворих). As of November 16, 2009 ill 26 thousand health workers (2.4% of patients). Найбільший відсоток хворих медиків спостерігається в Чернівецькій області - 8,3%, Тернопільській - 7,2%, Івано-Франківській - 6,8%, Львівській - 5,8%. The largest percentage of medical patients observed in the Chernivtsi region - 8.3%, Ternopil - 7.2%, Ivano-Frankivsk - 6.8%, Lviv - 5.8%. Відсоток госпіталізованих серед загальної кількості хворих медпрацівників - 7%, тоді як серед загальної кількості хворих - 5%. The percentage of hospitalized patients among the total number of health workers - 7%, while among the total number of patients - 5%. Найбільшу кількість медпрацівників госпіталізовано в Кіровоградській області. The largest number of health workers were injured in Turkey. Відсоток виписаних з діагнозом грип та пневмонія серед медпрацівників становить 71%, тоді як серед всього населення цей показник становить 31,3%, що свідчить про більш важкий перебіг захворювання саме серед медпрацівників. The percentage of prescription with a diagnosis of influenza and pneumonia among health workers is 71%, while among the total population the figure is 31.3%, indicating a more severe course of disease is among health workers.

Тривожна статистика стала поштовхом до обговорення на селекторній нараді питання дотримання протиепідемічного режиму в лікувально-профілактичних закладах та заходах щодо захисту медпрацівників, які надають медичну допомогу хворим на грип та ГРВІ під час епідемії. The alarming statistics contributed to the conference call to discuss the issue of compliance with anti regime in medical institutions and measures to protect health workers who provide medical care for influenza and ARI during the epidemic.

Головний епідеміолог МОЗ України Сергій Бережнов нагадав представникам регіонів нормативні документи, які регламентують зазначені заходи. Chief Epidemiologist Ministry of Health of Ukraine Sergey lovingly reminded the representatives of regional regulations that govern these activities.

Міністр охорони здоров'я України Василь Князевич звернувся до регіонів та наголосив на особистій відповідальності завідуючих медичних закладів за безпеку медпрацівників та дотримання ними протиепідемічного режиму. Health Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Knyazevich addressed to the regions and emphasized the personal responsibility of heads of medical institutions for the safety of health workers and their compliance with preventive regime. "Панове головні лікарі, ви маєте відповідні накази МОЗ, і ваш святий обов'язок дбати про безпеку своїх працівників. Це стосується керівників медичних закладів всіх рівнів. Кожен конкретний випадок важкого захворювання чи смерті медичного працівника буде ретельно вивчатися та досліджуватися комісією МОЗ та мною особисто", - наголосив Василь Князевич. "Gentlemen, Chief Medical Officer, you have the relevant orders of the MoH, and your sacred duty to care for the safety of their employees. This applies to leaders of medical institutions at all levels. Each particular case of severe illness or death, medical workers will be carefully studied and doslidzhuvatysya the MOH and me personally "- said Vasily Knyazevich. Він повідомив, що найближчим часом продовжить поїздки регіонами і це питання буде жорстко контролюватися. He said that in the near future will continue to visit the regions and this issue will be strictly monitored. Міністр наголосив на подеколи особистому недбальстві медиків та закликав всю медичну громаду відповідально поставитись до рекомендацій епідеміологів. He stressed the sometimes personal negligence of doctors and called on all the medical community responsible attitude to the recommendations of epidemiologists. Василь Князевич звернувся до санслужб на місцях з вимогою здійснити ретельну перевірку всіх медичних закладів на предмет дотримання санітарних норм під час епідемії грипу. Vasily Knyazevich asked sansluzhb on the ground with the requirement to make a thorough inspection of all health facilities for compliance with sanitary standards during a flu epidemic. "Епідбезпека в лікувальному закладі повинна стати головним завданням для керівника, який відповідає за життя та здоров'я своїх колег", - наголосив міністр. "Epidbezpeka the treatment facility should be the priority for a manager who is responsible for the lives and health of their colleagues," - he said.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

The victims of flu in Ukraine are 344 cheloveka
18/11/2009

KIEV, Nov. 18 - RIA Novosti, Alain Мейта. Number of deaths from flu in Ukraine, where the end of October is declared an epidemic of the disease, as of Wednesday night had reached 344, the last night 18 people died, the website of the Ministry of Health.

Since the beginning of the epidemic of influenza sick one million 502 thousand 345 people, hospitalized 85 thousand 904 persons, of hospitalized issued 54 thousand 407 people.

According to recent data, 166 confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1, in 15 cases the outcome was fatal.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday announced the stabilization of the situation with the influenza epidemic which started in the country in late October, 30 October was declared a quarantine in the nine western regions, and later - in another area. Over the last week there was stabilization of the situation with the flu and colds in general in Ukraine and in ten control cities. Dynamics last week showed some slowdown in the spread of disease, said the press service of Ministry of Health.

The Government stated that on Friday may cancel quarantine in some regions of the country. Quarantine has been declared in the ten areas in western Ukraine. :tiphat:http://www.rian.ru/flu_news/20091118/194390503.html

 

[B.C.]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 328 Total cases: 1,460,000

Ukrainian gas fees to rise

Ukraine will double the fees it charges Russia to ship gas through the country from next year, its prime minister said yesterday, in a move that could cause supplies to be disrupted over the winter.


By Our Foreign Staff
Published: 6:03PM GMT 18 Nov 2009

The decision came ahead of a crucial meeting today between Yulia Tymoshenko and her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who has warned that a dispute over gas payments could halt supplies to European customers.

Around a quarter of the European Union's gas supply comes from Russia.

Ukraine currently charges Russia $1.7 (?1) per 1,000 cubic metres of gas per 100 kilometres. In September the Ukrainian gas monopoly Naftogaz said that the fee would be raised to between 2.7 and $2.8 in 2010.

Mrs Tymoshenko confirmed yesterday that cost would increase despite warnings by Russia not to enforce it.

"The transit price of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian territory will be doubled from January 1, 2010," she said.

Ukraine is one of the countries hardest hit by the global economic crisis.

A gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine led to a cut-off of Russian gas supplies across much of Europe for two weeks in January this year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/6599834/Ukrainian-gas-fees-to-rise.html

 

[B.C.]

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

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

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53138/

Health Ministry: Flu, respiratory diseases claim 344 lives in Ukraine
Today at 20:36 | Interfax-Ukraine
The current flu epidemic and other acute respiratory diseases in Ukraine has claimed 344 lives by Wednesday evening, the Health Ministry said.

It said 18 people had died of such diseases in the previous 24 hours.

The ministry said 1.502 million people had contracted such illnesses since the epidemic broke out and that 44,781 had fallen ill in the past 24 hours.

A total of 83,904 people have been hospitalized since the start of the epidemic, and 54,407 of them have been discharged from the hospital by Wednesday evening.

The ministry also said 2,878 people had been hospitalized for the previous 24 hours.

The ministry has published no separate statistics on cases of A/H1N1 influenza or swine flu.

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 344 Total cases: 1,502,345

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 344 Total cases: 1,502,345

A new MOH update is here (can someone post the chart?). Now up to 354 deaths, a reported incrase of 12, but a figure only 10 more than yesterday. Perhaps two of the deaths were double counted?

http://www.moz.gov.ua/ua/main/press/?docID=14150

Update: It should be 356 deaths, an increase of 12. The deaths column is simply mis-added by two. If you add up the count in each oblast, you get 356.

Also, note that while the situation in Lviv and the west is stabilizing, Kiev is reporting increasing numbers of cases and hospitalizations and deaths (4 new deaths - 18 total).

 

[alert]

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 344 Total cases: 1,502,345

Re: Ukraine- Pandemic Influenza - Ministry of Health says Deaths: 344 Total cases: 1,502,345

Maybe they have better information (or are just less scared now that they are sure this isn't a mystery virus), but the chart today does not indicate H1N1 is on the decline in Kyiv.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/city/detail/53219/

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

 

[alert]

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

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

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53256/

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

 

[alert]

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

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

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53252/

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."

 

[alert]

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

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.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/editorial/detail/53253/

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.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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.

http://www.vz.ru/news/2009/11/20/350797.html

 

[sharon sanders]

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

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.


http://www.kyivpost.com/news/city/detail/53219/