2009 16 Nov

Which Disease Is Plaguing Ukraine?Officials Can’t Decide

In Kiev, Ukraine a mysterious illness has torn the country apart. Officials say it is swine flu but reports claim it is more dangerous than Swine Flu. It has hit the population exceptionally hard. Some think that is closely mirrors Typhus or the pneumonic plague. Thus, Ukraine has introduced the strictest measures in the world on Friday to try and combat and manage swine flu. There have been scores of deaths in the western section of the country.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has taken measures in order to try and manage the epidemic. Travel limitations are in place along with banned public gatherings; school dismissals including university level for three weeks, along with movies closing after the Health Ministry declared an epidemic of the supposed swine flu.

The ministry disclosed that 71 people had died from the flu and respiratory infections. However, it isn’t clear how many deaths were a end result of the strange illness. Ukrainians have begun to panic and the government has tried to keep everybody calm. In Kiev, pharmacies soon ran out of medicine and face masks because of the high demand of people.

Apparently many Ukrainians do not trust government authorities and try to watch out for themselves. They don’t believe that they can rely on the country. This seems like a phenomenon because everybody nowadays at least in America relies heavily on the government. The spirit of individualism and accountability for ones self is missing. It’s fortunate that these citizens are self-reliant, plus who can blame them for not trusting authorities, with the type of background and history they’ve had.

The country will be facing elections on January 17 but this far the flu outbreak has become a political game. The president and prime minister have already issued instructions to try and fight against the virus with masks and medications. Despite the actions taken, the virus continues to rage and more Ukrainians are dying by the day.

Every person is wearing masks in Ukraine when they are in public. This even includes cops on patrol in the streets. Not only are public servants using the masks, but also everyday citizens. In order to shun the virus people are remaining home and avoiding going out and being exposed but if they have to go out, they make sure they have masks on.

Due to the number of H1N1 cases in Ukraine and the amount of deaths, a team from the World Health Organization is set to be in Ukraine on Monday to help out the authorities. There are also many Ukrainians that are upset with the government’s previous inaction and are calling for the health minister to resign.

In order to combat the swine flu Ukraine has added some of the strictest measures in the world. There have already been 53 deaths and mounting fear of how much worse the outbreak and death tolls will rise.

Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, college degrees, Distance Learning, and the college experience.