According to the decision of the meeting at the head of state, which took place on February 8 of this year, a new coordination body will be created under the President of Ukraine that will take upon itself all organizational and coordination work on resolving problems related to the possibility of the spread of avian influenza. However, in Volyn such a body was already created much earlier, as Volyn journalists learned at a meeting of the Lutsk Press Club of Reforms.
Volyn is a territory through which birds will return from their wintering grounds. The largest migration route in the region runs through the Polissia regions. And although this route is latitudinal, on which the pathogen does not spread, nevertheless, according to the head of the veterinary medicine department in the Volyn region, Bohdan Lozynskyi, one should not forget about precautionary measures. Especially since there is a threat of combining avian and swine influenza pathogens, which increases the likelihood of human infection with the virus. In the near future, inspections of pigs at large complexes will begin in Volyn, especially those that receive piglets from Holland (in 2004, 400 pig farms were destroyed in that country). Mr. Lozynskyi, however, advises against stirring up the problem, since the risk of infection of domestic poultry in Volyn is minimized also because preventive measures have been taken against the pathogen of pseudoplague of birds (the same avian influenza that is still being recorded in Ukraine and Europe today, but humans do not contract it).
As reported by the chief state sanitary doctor of the Volyn region, Nataliia Yanko, the coordination council created in Volyn has developed a clear action plan. In particular, individuals have been assigned to each district who know how to respond if necessary. In addition, Ms. Nataliia advises adhering to veterinary and sanitary-hygienic requirements, especially during the bird migration period, and not letting waterfowl out onto bodies of water.
The overall epidemiological situation in Volyn is still reassuring: only 20 people have contracted human influenza, although there are quite a few patients with various types of acute respiratory infections and viral hepatitis.