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Ukrainians empty pharmacies in swine flu panic
Kiev (AFP) Oct 31, 2009 Ukrainians emptied pharmacies of masks and flu medicines on Saturday after the government ordered a three-week closure of schools and cinemas to combat swine flu. In Lviv in the western region, some pharmacies ran out of flu medicines and masks after worried customers made bulk purchases. Residents complained pharmacies were profiting from the panic caused by the announcement on Friday of the toughest measures to combat swine flu yet taken in Europe. "Look at the lines there, how much medicine they've sold and how much they've put prices up," said pensioner Maria Teodorovich. "People are buying up everything they see." In Kiev, residents said flu medicines were hard to find. "I've been to so many pharmacies and can't find medicines anywhere. And flu is on its way," said pensioner Yelena Mikhailova, covering her face with a paper tissue. Ukraine has 13 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus and four people have died, the country's chief sanitary doctor, Olexander Bilovol, said in televised comments on Saturday. President Viktor Yushchenko gave far higher figures for overall flu infections Saturday, saying that 48 people had died and more than 150,000 people had been infected, the Interfax news agency reported. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who ordered the shutdown of schools and cinemas a day earlier, attempted to reassure people on Saturday. "The measures taken by the government are very harsh but don't be afraid, these measures are a lot tougher than the actual risks," she said in an address to the nation. "It is better to do too much than not enough," the premier said, adding preparations for a swine flu outbreak had been under way since April when the infection was first discovered. In the country's western region, there have been 36 deaths from a type of pneumonia, Bilovol said. It has not been officially confirmed whether the deaths were linked to swine flu. On Saturday, the medical chief of the armed forces, Pyotr Melnik, announced that military conscription would be halted for two or three weeks because of swine flu, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. In Lviv, public service workers such as tram drivers donned masks, as did many young people, although some didn't take the panic seriously. "I'm wearing a mask more for fun. All my classmates are wearing them, so I am too," said Andrei Kvas, a 20-year-old student, whose university had stopped classes because of the epidemic. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Swine flu 'second wave' begins in Saudi: ministerRiyadh (AFP) Oct 30, 2009 A second wave of swine flu has begun in Saudi Arabia, the health ministry said on Friday, as the death toll from A(H1N1) neared 60 just weeks before the annual hajj brings two million pilgrims to the country. "The ministry of health said a second wave of the swine flu virus began in early October with the beginning of the fall and cooler weather," the official SPA news agency reported. ... read more |
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