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Commentary
Over 2000 Health Care
Workers Ill in Ukraine
Recombinomics
Commentary 14:34
November 9, 2009
This situation complicates the already difficult work of physicians who work with the excessive load. In order to support regions with the most complex epidemiological situation, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine formed more than 570 mobile teams, composed of family physicians, pediatricians, infectious disease, anesthesiologists and others. specialists.
The above translation is from a Ukraine Ministry of Health announcement made today. Included are the deaths of 6 health care workers as well as more than 2000 who are ill. These numbers also begin the demonstrate the transmissibility of H1N1 in Ukraine. The latest release has almost 1 million in Ukraine who are symptomatic and almost 50,000 hospitalized. The reported death toll is 155, but there are additional pneumonia deaths that are not classified as influenza/ARI. It is not clear how symptoms in the second group differ from those listed in the government table. Severe cases of H1N1 without fever have been described in other countries, raising concerns that some of the H1N1 pneumonia deaths are being mis-classified.
All listed oblasts and municipalities are near or above the epidemic threshold, and the sudden rise in cases and deaths raise concerns about small genetic changes, including receptor binding domain changes in the H1N1 in Ukraine.
Samples were sent to Mill Hill in London a week ago. At least 15 of the samples were positive for H1N1, so a full data set of sequences should have been completed last week.
Release of those sequences is long overdue.
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