VZCZCXRO6381
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHKV #1900/01 3061500
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021500Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY KYIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8715
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KYIV 001900 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CDC SOCI PREL AMED CASC XH UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: DEATH TOLL AND PANIC RISING WHILE POLITICIANS 
TRADE ACCUSATIONS 
 
REF: A) 09 KYIV 01890    B) 09 KYIV 01893 
 
KYIV 00001900  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The Ukrainian government appealed for 
international help on November 1 as the official death toll from flu 
and respiratory infections reached 60, with at least 13 of those 
deaths caused by the A-H1N1 virus.  The government is implementing 
unprecedented measures to combat the outbreak (Ref B) and has 
pledged $375 million (3 billion hryvia) to fight the flu outbreak. 
Minister of Health Knyazevich urged politicians to "cease spreading 
panic"  and stated that Ukraine's situation is not unusual among 
countries experiencing A-H1N1 flu outbreaks.  The political 
opposition meanwhile accused the government of failing to prevent 
the flu epidemic.  End Summary. 
 
DEATH TOLL RISING 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Ministry of Health has confirmed 67 influenza- and acute 
respiratory viral infections-associated deaths in Ternopil, 
Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Rivne and Volyn oblasts (all in 
Western Ukraine) for the period of October 19 through November 1. 
At least 22 of those deaths are confirmed to have been caused by 
A-H1N1.  The official estimate as of November 1 of flu-sufferers 
numbers 191,431; of those, 7,524 have been hospitalized.  So far, 
there are no confirmed cases of A-H1N1 in Kyiv, but there have been 
at least three flu-related deaths in Ukraine's second largest city 
-- Kharkiv -- in eastern Ukraine, according to the media. 
 
STRICT MEASURES 
--------------- 
 
¶3. (U) The government announced strict measures to combat the spread 
of the flu, closing schools in all Ukraine for three weeks and 
suspending all public events (Ref B).  [Note:  Interestingly, the 
Dynamo Kyiv - Inter Milan Champions League match is expected to take 
place as scheduled on November 4.  End Note.]  Over the weekend, 
Presidential candidates cancelled their election events, and the 
Ministry of Defense suspended the annual draft into Ukraine's 
conscript army.  At an Emergency Session on October 30, the Cabinet 
of Ministers declared the flu outbreak a "level three" threat (the 
highest possible threat level) and allocated UAH3 billion to fight 
the disease.  The government has also launched a public service 
announcement campaign to educate the public about steps to prevent 
the spread of the flu.  In addition, authorities have set up two 
hotlines to provide information about the A-H1N1 virus and to 
collect complaints about pharmaceutical and medical services and 
incidents of price gauging. 
 
APPEAL FOR HELP AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) President Yushchenko appealed for international help on 
October 30 and, according to the Presidential Secretariat's website, 
sent letters to his counterparts in Belarus, Hungary, Poland, 
Russia, Romania, Slovakia, the United States, as well as to the EU 
President, and NATO Secretary General.  According to Foreign 
Minister Poroshenko, 12 countries have agreed to supply Ukraine with 
equipment and medicine to tackle the outbreak.  Meanwhile, Ukraine 
negotiated a purchase of 300,000 doses of Tamiflu from Swiss drug 
maker Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd at a price of UAH67 (about US$8.40) per 
dose.  The shipment arrived at the Kyiv Boryspil International 
Airport to great fanfare this morning, with Prime Minister 
Tymoshenko, Poroshenko and Kyiv governor Ulyanchenko welcoming the 
shipment.  The drug will reportedly be distributed to hospitals in 
western Ukraine and provided to sick patients free of charge. 
According to news reports, a World Health Organization (WHO) team is 
expected to arrive in Ukraine today, November 2, to evaluate the 
outbreak. 
 
PANIC MODE 
---------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Witnesses continue to report lines outside of pharmacies, 
as people try to stock up on flu medicine and surgical masks.  A 
number of pharmacies were reportedly unable to meet the sudden spike 
in demand and quickly ran out of supplies.  People of all ages are 
now seen wearing surgical masks on Kyiv's streets.  According to an 
Interfax news report, Our Ukraine/People's Self-Defense Bloc MP 
Volodymyr Stretovych even proposed that all MPs attend Rada meetings 
in surgical masks to demonstrate the seriousness of the flu epidemic 
threat. 
 
¶6. (U) Minister of Health Knyazevich urged politicians to cease 
spreading panic and stated that Ukraine's situation is not unusual 
among countries experiencing A-H1N1 flu outbreaks.  PM Tymoshenko 
meanwhile blamed the "dishonest behavior of Ukrainian politicians 
 
KYIV 00001900  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
and certain political forces" for spreading panic.  According to 
Tymoshenko, Ukraine is grappling with "an epidemic of common flu 
accompanied by a small number of lab-confirmed cases of [A-H1N1] 
flu." 
 
COMMENT: POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Tymoshenko has imposed severe measures to deal with the 
outbreak, although infection and death rates are comparable to other 
countries experiencing swine flu.  The opposition is criticizing 
her, however, saying that the measures were not taken early enough. 
It is still too soon to tell whether the public supports 
Tymoshenko's response to the outbreak, but commentators are starting 
to question whether the extreme measures (such as closing schools, 
limiting travel within the country, and cancelling political 
rallies) are simply motivated by the Prime Minister's desire to look 
strong in advance of the January presidential elections.  There are 
rumors circulating that the election could be postponed because 
candidates are losing out on three weeks of campaigning.  However, 
under Ukrainian law, postponement of the elections would require a 
state of emergency to be declared and be in effect on election day, 
January 17.  The Prime Minister, the President, and the Rada 
leadership would also need to agree to a postponement, something 
that would be difficult to achieve given the current political 
environment.  End Comment. 
 
PETTIT