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Commentary
Ukraine Dead Increase to 344 - Sequences Released
Recombinomics Commentary 19:17
November 17, 2009
1,502,345 Influenza/ARI
85,904 Hospitalized
344 Dead
The above tally is from the latest update from the Ukraine Ministry of health. The 344 dead represents an increase of 16 from yesterday's total, which is similar to recent daily increases. The steady climb in fatal cases highlights the importance of the release of sequences by Mill Hill a WHO regional center in London.
Included in the sequences from 10 isolates were four HA sequences with the receptor binding domain change, D225G, which was found in the one throat and three lung samples. The change was not found in isolates from nasopharyngeal washes, suggesting D225G may lead to high concentrations of H1N1 in patient's lungs. The high concentration of virus leads to a cytokine storm that destroys the lungs in a few days.
The finding of D225G in lung tissues raises concerns rergarding sequencing of isolates from nasopharyngeal swabs. The monitoring of this important genetic change in the receptor binding domain may require sampling of lung tissues or fluids.
The relationship between the negative nasopharyngeal washes and the lung samples would be useful.
Kudos to Mill Hill and WHO for the prompt release of the panel of H1N1 sequences from Ukraine patients.
Originally posted by ecoparity
You'll know if and when you get it. It runs you over like a truck. If you feel kind of "I don't know" then you're not infected or not actively infected yet.
See if you can get some Tamiflu and save it for when the truck arrives.
It's like this. There have been a rash of robberies in the neighborhood. They are mostly annoyances and vandalism but sometimes valuables are stolen, and cars, and there have been some injuries. 5 men in purple ski masks have been spotted with crude but effective break-in tools. They are called Invaders. One day one of them is sent to jail after getting caught committing a crime in a different section of town. He spends a month in jail mixing with other criminals and gets break-in tips. There he learns how to pick deadbolts so his skills undergo an evolutionary change. He gets out and spreads the new info to his bandit gang.
Now in your neighborhood these Invaders are suddenly able to go INTO your home and trash it, upending everything looking for jewelry and electronics, stealing your valuables, leaving your spigots running and overflowing the plumbing as they tie you up and duct tape your mouth so you can't defend yourself.
Still the same Invaders, still the same type of crime, still the same purple ski masks and same neighborhood, but now they can get deeper into your house and steal more and threaten your life more. They are getting bolder because they have not been caught and stopped and so they are killing more ppl they find at home unawares and vulnerable.
The ability to pick a deadbolt is just one of their tools and skillsets but it is an especially grievous one. It allows their game to change. You are now rightfully frightened of these Invaders.
The epidemic comes at a bad time for Ms. Tymoshenko for two reasons. Her government was caught completely unprepared for an epidemic – there is not one dose of vaccine in the country and little in the way of preventative measures. And, if not handled wisely before January's voting, the crisis could severely damage the stylish front-runner, known for her trademark braided hairpiece.
It should surprise few people that the medical emergency has caught the government off guard. The ministries charged with social services and the well-being of Ukrainians (Health and Family, Youth and Sports) have been weakened under successive governments through major budget cuts and sheer neglect. It's not uncommon to walk into either ministry during the winter and see staff shivering in their coats.
As late as mid-summer, little information was available to the public on how to protect against H1N1. The government ignored many warning signs, including World Health Organization pleas to stockpile drugs, face masks and other flu-fighting materials. When the outbreak hit, Ms. Tymoshenko flippantly advised her people to protect themselves by eating garlic and lemons.
It isn't only H1N1 that has put Ukrainians' lives at stake. The Health Ministry has no contingency plans to replace the nearly nine million doses of expired measles, mumps and rubella vaccine that must be destroyed in coming weeks and months – themselves a legacy from an ill-fated United Nations initiative that got caught up in a miasma of bureaucratic ineptitude, manipulation and attacks from a well-financed anti-vaccination movement.
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The government deserves harsh condemnation from neighbouring and European governments for its almost contemptuous handling of public health emergencies. Few would disagree, for example, that Kiev has catastrophically fumbled its response to HIV and AIDS, which is growing faster in Ukraine and Russia than anywhere else outside Africa. According to UNAIDS, Ukraine has the most severe AIDS epidemic in Europe. If progress isn't stepped up soon, the adult prevalence rate could reach a staggering 3.5 per cent by 2014. Young Ukrainians disproportionately bear the brunt of the epidemic: More than 80 per cent of those living with HIV are under 30. According to one estimate, almost 20 per cent of all new cases are children born HIV-positive.
So severe is the AIDS epidemic in Ukraine – it has claimed at least 22,000 lives – that some multilateral institutions say it's contributing to the country's demographic decline. The population has plummeted by about six million since the early 1990s, and according to a new World Bank study, Ukraine has the highest “depopulation rate” for all of Europe. Adult male deaths are at levels comparable to countries with less than one-fifth its per capita GNP.
When NGOs or donors try to help Ukraine, their well-meaning interventions are often stymied by red tape, bureaucratic ineptitude or corruption. Aid destined for needy Ukrainians is routinely delayed, misappropriated or stolen. It's a sad commentary on a country that gained such an enormous reservoir of goodwill in the aftermath of the Orange Revolution. Some people have compared it to a failed state. As one colleague put it: “It's like watching a long, painful sunset.”
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Originally posted by jedi_hamster
reply to post by CommonSenseRules
there are at least 4 reported deaths in poland already.