Hi, all, while I am not volunteering for this thread, I did start it so that I could post this story.
Ukraine
Flu epidemic anticipated in December
Doctors are urging Ukrainians to get their flu shots as soon as possible – they are anticipating a number of localized outbreaks of epidemic proportions sometime in December. Medical officials claim that the number of people with the flu in the cities of Simferopol and Lviv is already approaching epidemic levels.
This year, two new flu strains are expected to make Ukrainians, wheeze, sneeze, hack and cough: the new “Wisconsin” and “Malaysia” strains of flu virus are expected to keep doctors and parents busy. The “Caledonia” strain is also expected to be back to take its toll. The call for immunization has yet to be answered however. At 50 hryvnia per flu shot, some claim it is too expensive. That is the equivalent of some ten dollars. Twenty-five percent of the general population fall victim to the flu every year. The term epidemic is used when eight out of every ten people fall prey to the viruses.
Oops! Forget to switch. Sorry for the confusion!
Even if you can find a shot (joke) the price is way too high for the average person who typically only earns $150/month. While conditions certainly don’t match that of say Somalia, it is a struggle to survive for many in Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
My reading comprehension of Ukrainian and Russian is not what it once was, but if there are English language sites that can monitored, I might be able to help out. My MIL speaks both but is computer illiterate.
I just returned from a month in the Republic of Georgia. I saw very few migrating birds (I was about 15 miles from the Black Sea). Locals with chickens had few eggs because after having destroyed (culled) all their chickens last spring they now have young birds. But I saw very little precautions being taken. In the smaller remote villages chickens, roosters, cows, pigs, dogs all roam throughout neighborhoods. I watched as all of these animals picked through trash behind our living area followed by a group of young children who proceeded to play in the dirt. This winter will be particularly hard as there are increasing power disruptions, and so many people who depended on support via money transfers from relatives living in Russia, are now facing going without. Top it off with many eastern Georgia vinyards being left with lots of product as 100% of their sales were to Russia who has now banned its import. They will be without income. It will be a cold winter in Georgia. I agree, I cannot imagine the average person in that region being able to afford a flu shot.
Ok, so this is the Lookout Post for: (13) Far Eastern Europe and Baltic region:
Do we keep Georgia here (as per post by Holysmoke), or do we transfer the post to the Lookout Post for Middle East and Caucasus regions: Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria?
BACKGROUND NOTES – ROMANIA - http://preview.tinyurl.com/subcv - Romanians visit Del. to learn from bird flu experts
Fifteen senior policymakers from Romania are visiting Delaware this week to participate in a nine-day training program on managing avian influenza outbreaks. The Romanian group, which includes representatives from the government, poultry industry and academia, will spend most of its time with avian flu experts from the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical & Community College campuses in Georgetown. […] In the past, other groups from abroad, including one from Kosovo, have come to Delaware to learn about bird flu prevention.
EC gives Bulgaria and Romania money to fight animal disease
- “The European Commission (EC) has approved a E11.5m (£7.7m) package to fight animal disease in Bulgaria and Romania in 2007…”
…”Both countries will join the EU on 1 January 2007. The money will be used to monitor, eradicate and control rabies, classical swine fever, salmonella in breeding hens, avian flu surveillance, TSE monitoring and scrapie eradication…”
…”Markos Kyprianou, commissioner for health and consumer protection, said: Safeguarding animal health is an essential factor in ensuring food safety, and in avoiding the often devastating consequences that animal epidemics can have. The decision to allocate considerable resources to fight against animal diseases shows the Commissions unwavering commitment to this goal…”
http://tinyurl.com/yg3bqf
cross-posted to news thread
Romania is (ready) for new outbreak of bird flu
Romania is prepared from a strategic viewpoint to combat a new outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus, local epidemiologists were quoted as saying on Tuesday by the national Rompres news agency.
After the eradication of all bird-flu outbreaks registered in 2005 and 2006, the Romanian authorities, during the period of “ epidemiological peace”, laid emphasis on the clinical and lab surveillance.
An epidemiological investigation of about 300–500 poultry and wild birds has been conducted weekly, according to the Institute of Diagnosis and Animal Health.
Experts of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization were present in the Danube Delta for two weeks to take collect samples from wild ducks and geese arrived in the area. All the samples collected, 162 wild birds and 26 bird corpses of several species, were tested last week in the lab and none showed traces of the H5N1 virus…”
http://tinyurl.com/ybrppf
closed and continued here