H1N1 Wreaking Havoc in Ukraine

By Volodymyr Kish

The H1N1 flu virus has hit Ukraine hard the last week of October, particularly
the western oblasts of Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsy, where normal day-to-day activities have come to a standstill. By Sunday, November 1, the Ministry of Health confirmed that fifty three people had died over the previous week and some 150,000 inhabitants have been laid low by the flu. Pharmacies throughout Ukraine quickly ran out of medicines and gauze masks, adding to the fear and anger of residents who accuse the government of being totally unprepared for the outbreak, despite the fact that the risks and dangers have been well known since the first outbreaks of this deadly strain of flu began appearing around the globe earlier this spring. To make matters worse, the government recently imposed price controls on drugs, insuring that most companies have no incentive to either make or import needed medicines.

In contrast to most governments around the world, the Ukrainian authorities did nothing to organize mass vaccination campaigns such as are currently underway in Canada, the U.S. and most of Europe. They are now caught with a serious outbreak with no vaccines and not much of a plan on how to deal with the rapidly spreading virus.

Their response so far has been to close down all the schools and universities for a three week period, impose a ban on large gatherings  of any kind, place stringent restrictions on travel, take control of all health facilities, clinics and pharmacies, and issue warnings from the Prime Minister that anyone attempting to profit from the situation would suffer dire consequences. She assured the country that arrangements have been made to ramp up production of face masks to meet demands. The government has also launched an appeal to other countries, the World Health Organization and the Ukrainian Diaspora to provide assistance in securing medicines, equipment, prophylactic materials and funding to help it deal with the crisis.

None of this should be a surprise to anyone who has followed events in Ukraine closely of late. Ukraine has really been without a working government for much of the past year, as the ever-fractious parliament prefers to squabble than to govern. The administration too, has been effectively paralyzed while the President and the Prime Minister continue to engage in a self-destructive political war that has left the country’s reputation as well as its financial and administrative operations seriously compromised. Cabinet posts have sat vacant for months, legislation gets vetoed, officials are appointed and dismissed at a dizzying pace, and the only interest most politicians have is on the upcoming election.

Whatever we may think of the government and politicians in Ukraine at the moment, the fact of the matter is that our fellow Ukrainians need our help. On Saturday, October 31, at the request of Ihor Ostash, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, a number of Ukrainian Canadian organizations including the Canada Ukraine Foundation, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, and others met in an emergency session to determine what can be done. Obviously, major aid must come on a government to government basis, and the Canadian government will be approached, particularly to try and solicit the sharing of some of Canada’s plentiful supplies of vaccines with Ukraine. However, with the flu epidemic in full swing in Ukraine, the opportune time for such an effort to be effective has probably already passed.

At the meeting, it was agreed that what would probably be of more use would be to collect funds for the purchase of such things as hand disinfectants, masks, respirators, anti-viral medicines and the like. In cooperation with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Canada Ukraine Foundation has set up a special fund, the Ukraine H1N1 Fund. All the participants agreed that none of the funds raised should be funnelled through official Ukrainian government channels, as there is little confidence that approach would benefit the average Ukrainian. Rather, the Foundation will work with a network of Ukrainian Canadians currently in Ukraine, as well as established Canadian organizations and agencies currently working in the country, to insure that the aid reaches those who need it most.

I know that many Ukrainians in Canada are getting a little weary of the continuous requests that emanate from Ukraine for financial aid. However in this case, it is truly a matter of life and death for many people, and we should stretch out our generosity one more time.