Posted on 10/30/2009 4:42:41 AM PDT by Uncle Ike
SHOCK! Epidemic of pneumonic plague in Ukraine? (updated at 05:39 pm) MIGnews.com.ua
Ministry of Health has not established the exact diagnosis of the epidemic disease in the western regions of Ukraine. Health Minister Vasyl Knyazevich has given information about spread of diseases in the Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv Regions today at the meeting of Cabinet of Ministers.
According to the Minister, the World Health Organization is ready to render assistance to Ukrainian experts and the Ministry of Health in order to establish the cause of death and development of disease flu in the Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv Regions.
"We are working at receiving the vaccine against influenza A (H1N1) also", - said Vasily Knyazevich and asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to render assistance.
Answering question of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko about the definition of the specific nature of the disease, the head of the Ministry of Health said: "The nature of infections is viral one. But at the moment it is not defined, is it the Californian influenza H1N1, or it is our seasonal influenza. To date, there is no precise diagnosis."
(snip)
According to the Minister of Health, to date, 12 adults have died in the Ternopil Region. "There are problems, people of working age 20-45 years are sick, there is a problem with pregnant women (we have the death in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil Regions), 17 patients remain in the grave condition, 4 of them have artificial pulmonary ventilation", - said Vasily Knyazevych.
(Excerpt) Read more at mignews.com.ua ...
US State Dept. Warden Message
H1N1 FLU OUTBREAK IN WESTERN UKRAINE
Dear Friends and Wardens,
The U.S. Embassy is aware of the disease outbreak being widely reported in Western Ukraine. According to press reports, the Ministry of Health has confirmed that the disease in question is 2009-H1N1 influenza, sometimes referred to as novel H1N1 or swine flu. The Embassy is monitoring the situation and remains in contact with Ukrainian public health authorities responding to it. According to the press, Ukrainian authorities have put several precautionary measures in place. For example, the Embassy understands that the current school vacation will be extended for three weeks; authorities have asked that public gatherings not take place; and pregnant women are being advised to defer non-emergency visits to hospitals where patients suffering from flu-like symptoms are being treated. Additionally, some press reports have said that restrictions limiting the “unnecessary” movement between regions will be in place for the next three weeks, although no details of how officials will determine the urgency of travel have been released. Individuals reporting flu-like symptoms are being advised to limit contact with other people, and, in some cases, are being treated in isolation units at local hospitals. However, public health officials have told the Embassy that as of October 30, no general quarantine is in effect.
If you are quarantined or placed in isolation due to 2009-H1N1 influenza, please contact the Embassy at the number below and let us know, so we can monitor your situation. However, please be aware that the Embassy cannot demand your immediate release if you have been detained or quarantined in accordance with local public health and legal authorities.
Due to legal restrictions and a lack of sufficient resources, the Embassy is not in a position to provide private citizens with pandemic-related supplies, medications or medical treatment, including vaccines, and cannot provide specific medical advice. Questions and concerns about influenza or other illnesses should be directed to a medical professional. A list of local hospitals and doctors can be found on our website at http://kiev.usembassy.gov/amcit_medical_eng.html.
For more information on how to prepare for a severe pandemic, please see the State Department “Pandemic Influenza Fact Sheet” and “Options During a Pandemic” flyer located on www.travel.state.gov. Detailed information about 2009-H1N1 influenza can be found on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/, the U.S. Government’s federal influenza website at http://www.flu.gov, and the World Health Organization website at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html.
U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Ukraine are encouraged to register with the Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/, to obtain updated travel and security information. U.S. citizens without Internet access may register directly with the Embassy. Registration is important; it allows the Embassy and the State Department to assist you in an emergency.
The Embassy is located at 10 Yuriy Kotsyubysnky Street in Kyiv. The Consular Section is located at 6 Pymonenko Street. The American Citizen Services telephone number is 38-044-490-4445; the fax number is 38-044-490-4040; the email address is kyivacs@state.gov. For after-hours emergencies, please call 38-044-490-4000.
End text.
6, Mykola Pymonenko St.
01901 Kyiv, Ukraine
e-mail
kyiv.usembassy.gov
http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/amcit_wardenmsg_0396_eng.html
40,000 contract serious virus in Ukraine, kills 30
As the world enters the H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic season, another possible virus emerges as 30 people in the Eastern European country of Ukraine have died from this latest flu.
Each country is dealing with their own cases of the H1N1 Swine Flu and many have even taken the vaccination but is H1N1 the only flu out there? A viral infection in Ukraine has taken the lives of 30 people and at first it seemed like an ordinary flu but after a week the symptoms became worse.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports 40,000 Ukrainians have contracted the disease and at least 100 are in the hospital. Tests are currently being conducted and all is known is that it is not the H1N1 Swine Flu.
A large number of schools and childcare facilities are being shut down, especially in the city of Lvov. Also, government agencies are handing out surgical masks and gloves to people in the western part of Ukraine.
However, Russia Today is reporting that it is A/H1N1 or Californian Flu and the total number of deaths is closer to 40.
Prime Minister Timoshenko stated, “Express-tests cannot provide a hundred percent verification of the virus, they give only 50% accuracy. That’s why blood probes of those who died were sent to special laboratories for further testing. And only this morning it was confirmed that at least 11 deaths were caused by the A/H1N1 virus.”
The Ukrainian government is calling for international aid to help fight their epidemic and President Yushchenko believes the country needs more than $6 million to battle the epidemic(s).
Wolne Media have also reported that the symptoms have been diagnosed as pneumonia. Furthermore, four patients in the hospital in Lviv Oblast have been confirmed to have “very severe pneumonia” after contracting the influenza.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/281347
Ukraine sounds swine flu alarm
Published 30 October, 2009, 15:35
Edited 30 October, 2009, 18:53
Ukrainian health authorities have announced that there is a flu epidemic in the country, and is most likely swine flu. Dozens have died and thousands have symptoms of the disease.
“Judging by the preliminary data, Ukraine is now in the global pandemic zone and we have epidemics of the ‘Californian flu’ or A/H1N1 influenza,” Health Minister Vasily Knyazevich announced.
Ukraine is going to ask the international community for help and to provide it with the necessary medicine, masks and medical ventilators, the Council of National Security and Defense said on Friday.
So far, 30 deaths in Ukraine have been attributed to some kind of influenza, and at least one of them tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus. More lab tests are expected later next week.
“Express-tests cannot provide a hundred percent verification of the virus, they give only 50% accuracy. That’s why blood probes of those who died were sent to special laboratories for further testing. And only this morning it was confirmed that at least 11 deaths were caused by the A/H1N1 virus.” announced Prime Minister Timoshenko.
Over a thousand people are now in hospitals with flu symptoms, and eleven people are known to have the new strain.
Nine regions in Ukraine, which were most affected by the flu epidemics, have declared a quarantine. Schools and universities have been closed for three weeks and people are advised to avoid public places. Public servants were ordered to wear masks while on duty under penalty of fines.
The government may also limit traveling in the country to curb the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Timoshenko said on Friday. Officials also say they are monitoring drug stores to prevent a possible surge of prices for anti-flu medicines. The demand for them has already surged.
President Yushchenko has estimated that Ukraine needs more than $6 million to fight the epidemics, and has demanded that the government allocates the money.
http://www.russiatoday.ru/Top_News/2009-10-30/ukraine-sounds-swine-flu.html
Crap, this isn’t what I want to hear !!!! It’s hard to tell really, to be honest, Ukraine and the Soviet Union in general is unreliable to say the least when it comes to reporting, probably mostly rumors. I remember when H1N1 hit in Mexico this spring their were rumors of outlying towns stacking and burning bodies in the streets, all were false, so let’s hope and pray we don’t have another 1918 brewing ...
It really seems so contrived, the constant warnings, the national emergency declared by Obama, baxter shipping live virus’s by mistake, it all stinks to high heaven. But then again, these things do occur naturally we know that, and it’s been a while since we’ve been hit.
I don’t know what to think anymore....
Baxter vaccine from Chech!
Might be from this?!
http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/02/questions_about_bird_flu_conta.php
Thanks for the ping Joe. This is not a good development.
Thanks for the ping!
...H5N1?
oh shit!
Kyrie, Eleison.
And so those lost asian vials finally turn up?
bttt
Unidentified flue outbreak in Western Ukraine.
October 29 200919:48
http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2009/10/29/202374
Western Ukraine was hit by a severe epidemic of unidentified influenza, tentatively diagnosed by doctors as viral pneumonia. The number of dead has climbed dramatically. Doctors advise Western Ukrainians to stay at home and use preventive medication. The first pedestrians wearing face masks have been seen on Lviv streets
Lviv kindergartens and schools have been closed, and the city council is to have its emergency session soon to address the flue outbreak. So far, the information released by the authorities on the epidemic dimensions spread and preventive measures is scarce, causing panic to spread in the city.
Here are the latest reports on the situation in other W.Ukraine oblasts:
Ternopil oblast
As the number of sick persons increases, the authorities describe the situation as rather serious, says Ternopil oblast chief medical officer Bohdan Onyskiv.
“In all, 262 patients are treated in hospitals, of these 16 in serious condition. !* children have died in rural areas and 70 in Ternopil,” he says.
Onyskiv confirmed that they died from viral pneumonia.
The main cause of their death is that sick Ukrainians were too late requesting medical help, most of them on the 5th or 6th day of the disease. They stayed at home, trying to treat themselves, visiting hospitals when it was too late. The disease has a distinct viral nature, complicating treatment, he added.
Lviv Oblast
Five persons have died from the flue in Lviv, four men and one woman, says emergency hospital chief doctor Myron Borysevych.
Two of the dead patients were in the 22-35 age group, with 2 others over 60. He diagnosed the disease as viral pneumonia.
“We have sent the analyses to Kyiv. We don’t believe it’s the swine flue. Neither do we know what kind of pneumonia it is,
Borysevych stressed. Viral tests can last from one to two weeks. They are complicated and not done in Lviv. The course of the disease was very quick. The symptoms included very high temperature and short-wind cough.
The disease started as an ordinary chill with headache and temperature. The symptoms lasted for a week before patient condition began to aggravate.
Zakarpattya Oblast
A man has died from the swine flue in Volovets. He has recently returned from Saint Petersburg, Russia, suffering from a cold. He was rushed to the hospital when pneumonia symptoms were found by doctors. Another local who came from Moscow became sick and went to see his doctor in time. Now he is recovering safely.
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
All the six dead young people had symptoms of severe hemmorhagic pneumonia. The disease starts slowly, with temperature rising to 37.2 – 37.3 degrees, slight cough and pain in joints. Nasal catarrh developed at the end of the second or third day. Autopsy revealed that the lungs were soaked with blood, the oblast chief specialist said.
Chernivtsi Oblast
The number of persons with common flue in Chernivtsi has grown from 2,623 to 4,053. According to the local medical authorities, the city has been hit by an unknown type of the flue. The tests to identify the virus will be ready only in 2 weeks, doctors say.
” the situation as rather serious “
Ummmmmm... Yeah, I’d say so....
Surprised to find this thread still alive when I got up this morning, but this seems to be the only coverage available on this ‘rather serious’ situation...
Thanks, DvdMom, for your hard work, here....
Thanks :)
Freeper Smokin’ Joe does the avian / h1n1 freeper ping list . If you want to be added to list please let him , or me know .
If I come across more Ukraine articles I will post it on your thread if that’s ok with you ?
Also I’ve been posting ongoing daily swineflu articles here
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278371/posts
” I will post it on your thread if that’s ok with you ? “
I don’t consider it my thread - it’s *our* thread, if it’s anything....
My sole contribution was that I stumbled, quite by accident, on the original article...
(I have kept an ongoing Google Search on ‘pneumonic plague’ - a phobia of mine - since the outbreak in Kenya a couple of years ago, and a serendipitous translation glitch brought that article up in the emailed Search Results...)
Thanks again for keeping me informed on developments... ;)
Sure , I appreciate you having this thread . This is a situation which needs to be watched very closely .
Thanks :)
WHO says it’s sending team to Ukraine to probe reports of serious H1N1 activity
(CP) – 6 hours ago - excerpt
GENEVA — The World Health Organization is sending a team of experts to Ukraine to look into reports of severe H1N1 disease there, a spokesperson for the global health agency said Friday. Gregory Hartl said the team was being pulled together by the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, which goes by the acronym GOARN.
The team will travel early next week to the eastern European country, which has closed schools and banned public meetings in response to a spike in cases of acute respiratory illness believed to be H1N1. “This is something that certainly needs investigating,” Hartl said from Geneva.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jTFG2-QOhRBqMONr9ZG0-NfS3_dA
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