Ukraine is ready for a possible outbreak of cholera
Deputy Minister of Health – Chief State Sanitary Doctor Igor Kuzin assures that Ukraine is ready for a possible outbreak of cholera, but allows the possibility of the disease only in areas where fighting and water problems.
According to Ukrinform, he said this in an interview ZN.UA..
“Fortunately, Ukraine has enough material, technical, organizational and even legal base. There are clear systems of epidemiological surveillance and monitoring of cholera. There are relevant orders that evaluate the regions of the country into three groups. Each case of severe diarrhea is subject to a separate laboratory study. Such studies begin annually on May 1 and end in late summer, when the epidemic season of the disease ends, “Kuzin said.
According to him, now all the years the system passes through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, samples are collected from surface waters, recreation areas, rivers and water intakes to ensure epidemiological surveillance. Drinking water is also being investigated. During all this time of monitoring, it turned out to be solid, no accidental cases of cholera were detected.
“The work is done every day. At the level of each oblast, there are appropriate preparedness plans with a clear list of physicians involved in a process; certain material and technical support, including incomprehensible stocks of medicines, rehydration solutions, disinfectants. Due to such a system of epidemiological surveillance, even one case of cholera will be diagnosed quickly enough and a response system will be launched to localize it, “Kuzin said.
He also assures that there is a vaccine against cholera in Ukraine. Sanlikar explained that its average efficiency is 80-85%. such a vaccine is used in African countries endemic for cholera. This is where there is a high risk of developing this disease. Kuzin assured that, given the climate of Ukraine, the use of cholera vaccine is not recommended. According to the sanlicar, cholera in Ukraine may be more contagious or spotty, ie it is not typical for the whole territory of the country.
“However, we have now asked the WHO for a certain reserve of vaccine. It is important for the health care system or vaccination of health workers, “Kuzin said.
According to him, the situation in the uncontrolled territories of Ukraine can be critical, because there is no access to information, no consumables.
“But we are counting on a speedy release. After that, routine work will begin in the occupied territories. It is currently launched in four oblasts – Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Sumy. After development, when the SES and the Armed Forces allow, our mobile teams are replaced, analyze the state of the environment in which vaccines are stored, take samples of soil, drinking water and food. Only after such work is carried out, the local authorities are instructed that the territory is safe, “he said.
In the case of the Kyiv region, as Kuzin found out, this was done fairly quickly. Within a month, mobile teams completed their work, covering 100% of deoccupied settlements.
As previously reported in Ukraine, the WHO manager, possibly on incidents, Dorit Nitsan said that the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine is likely to spread cholera and other infectious diseases, so the World Health Organization is now preparing to fight.