Epidemiological Angst

[PeterWolf]

November 26, 1999
Old Diseases Make Comeback In Russia
By Alexandra Trubnykoff

Russia is facing a resurgence of diseases that were long-since contained in developed countries because of a deterioration in health care and general poverty.

Recently the alarm was raised in the Samara region of central Russia where a 50-year-old died and 177 people were infected by a virus that causes fatal internal bleeding.
The GLPE virus, which causes internal hemorrhages and also affects the kidneys, is transmitted by mice. The virus is not rare and in Russia claims its toll every year, said Galina Fyodorova Lazinova, one of the heads of Russia's epidemiology studies.

But doctors in the Samara region were not so calm, saying on NTV television that they feared there would be more victims if they were not given a recently-developed vaccine.
The vaccine, although effective, must still be tested in the laboratory, but it would cost the health ministry $20 million to do that, which it can hardly afford.

Lazinova said that in the meantime, Samara health services had found a way of fighting the disease -- by killing off the mice. In the meantime, close to 180 people are waiting in the area, suffering from flu-like symptoms, aches and pains and debility.
If they are not treated, victims die from internal bleeding after the virus has attacked their blood vessels.

NTV television presented GLPE as one of those mysterious diseases that frequently strike Russia. In July, the people of three southern regions -- Rostov, Stavropol and Volgograd - were panicked after a mystery virus killed 10 people and caused the hospitalization of 174 others.
To blame was the Congo-Crimea virus, spread by ticks and which causes high fever and haemorrhages. In August, 80 people were taken to hospital with similar symptoms in Bashkirya, in the Urals.

A total of 140 caught an "unknown virus" in June, near Tula, south of Moscow, while another 200 were laid low in Tatarstan at the end of August. Most of the time confusion about the causes and detail of the mass illness can be explained by poor diagnoses, with provincial doctors lacking the means to carry out serious analyses.Lack of cash is also a reason for shortages of medicines across Russia. Those which are available are often extremely expensive and out of reach for the ordinary Russian, whose wage is less than $65. According to official figures, a third of the population of 147 million survives on less than a dollar a day.

These economic problems have encouraged the re-emergence of old diseases, such as tuberculosis, plague and even cholera, which, admitted Russian Deputy Minister for Health Gennady Onishchenko, were a glaring demonstration of poverty.

Aware of the problems that were exacerbated by the economic crisis last August, the ministry has placed the fight against tuberculosis, AIDS and sexually transmissible diseases at the top of its agenda. The ministry has also moved to contain the plague in the Caucasus and Caspian Sea areas.
Russia has more than 100,000 prisoners infected with TB and officially 20,000 HIV-positive inmates, of whom 9,500 were contaminated this year. ((c) 1999 Agence France Presse)

[Lilly]

The virus you speak of is similar to the Hunta Virus in the U.S.A. which was spread by mice, in the south west. The other is similar to the Ebola virus in Zaire (Old Congo).

The centre for diseases in Atlanta are still working to eradicate or at least try to control this problem.

Regards, LillyNomad

[ASTRA]

Hello Wolf!

Isn't Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) your distant relative? There is some kind of resemblance between your surnames as well as disposition to mental instability.

My observations are based on that disgusting articles you used to pick out from the foreign press.
What do you try to accomplish by that? To inform everybody that Rassia's having tough times. Thank you, that's the news indeed.

Oh,no,it's not your purpose!I guess your point is to show that Russians fell so low that:we outrage our war memorials,our women sell themselves for 2.50 pounds,AIDS harvested the half of the country & so on...

It's ridiculous!Yes the turmoil that has been happening in my country for almost 10 years indulged lots of people to do the things they would never wish to do.

Luckily not all of them,not even majority.
Let me show you few examples.

My former group mate at the University lost the both of her parents during the first year of her study,but she managed to continue her education in spite of the fact she was left without any kind of financial support.Having two jobs to earn her living she was the most brilliant student of our group.The difficult situation didn't push her on the streets.Though,believe me,she could get much more than 2.50 pounds,tariffs are various.In some major cities a good prostitute will cost you not less than 500$.It is not the thing to be proud of,this information - in case you are going to Moscow (for example),I gathered the opinion you are too fond of this sort of things.

Most of my teachers (all of them are highly educated people with different scientific degrees)live on hardly 2$ per day.But many of them are committed to their work & no way they would leave it,even being invited to work for some prosperous commercial firms.

One of my good friends,African from Congo caught TB.He is not the citizen of the country & lives on the student visa,but he got the good,not may be excellent,but good treatment in one of the hospitals for funny money.Now he's safe & sound,& drinks vodka as if he were common russian guy.

I have a good familiar of my parents, sportwoman, who used to represent our country on the World Champioships.She refused several times the generous offers to train abroad.It's the matter of integrity for her.

My grandmother,68 y.o.,getting the pension of 20$,manages to earn, by growing & selling flowers,the ammount,not every man of younger age can do.

I can easily provide to your attention a larger list.Believe it or not,it's up to you.
But this kind of people form the spine of my country & no one crisis can break it.Russians are great survivers.We'll pass through this one too.I am not an optimist but realist looking at the things.Though it may take more time than anyone can think.

Best regards,
LUBA

[NINA]

ASTRA- your letter almost made me cry. I was also disgusted by that guys letter. One thing that is so funny about his writing is that he never writes anything himself he just copies things. He does not respond to comments either. He is either a totaly sick person or who knows what else. But people like him and his way of writting really scare me. I just wanted to tell you WOLF that everything that Russia has problems with now AMERICA has had problems for the past 20 or 30 years. As far as TUBERCULOSIS my friend, TB is making a comeback not only in Russia but in USA also. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY - SCHOOL OF MEDICINE and one of the best ones in US wrote about it. I know some people there and they are scientists and researchers. TB and some other diseases are coming back because of various reasons. Only one of them is that some antibiotics that we were using do not work anymore. Viruses evolve, mutate and over period of time become resistant to certain medications. People and unfortunately some doctors used antibiotics in the wrong way. They were prescribed for common cold, mild flu etc. Antibiotics have no effect of cold and cold usually goes away on its own. Improper use of antibiotics, not taking them as prescribed, esppecially not taking all the pills that doctors give us are the reason for virus resistanc. the similar thing is now happening with some AIDS medications. People feel better (or in case of AIDS -worse) after taking medication, they stop using it and virus instead of being killed is only weakned. Virus "recovers" and multiplies producing other viruses resistant to that medication. THAT honey is the REASON for Tuberculosis comeback in Russian and USA. Also, not including African countries USA has more STD's and AIDS than other European countries comparing their population. For example USA has more cases of syphilis than Serbia had 100 years ago! In some other European countries including SERBIA that syphilis is an OLD disease that is not around anymore(they are some cases of course). In Croatia for your information Americans test Bosnian refugees before entering USA for transmited diseases including AIDS and STD's. At the time when I was waiting to come to US 20000 people within a two year period applied to come to US and ALL of them were accepted and ALL OF THEM WITH NO STD's OR anything else. I have never had any childrens diseases not even chicken pox (only flu once in my life and few cold but not in the last 5 years ) and my brother got chicken pox 30 days after arrival in US. He got it in ALL AMERICAN highschool. He never had it before! Want to talk about hygine in US, about children lying under restaurant tables, lying on the floors of Airports, use of carpets from wall to wall instead of ( Serbian custom) hardwood floors with smaller removable carpets that can and ARE washed every other month comparing to the ones in US washed or changed every 5 years, Not paintin walls in their houses for years, not washing windows and curtains very often.... I can go on and on forever Mr. Wolf.

[NINA]

WOLF- I had to stop writting for a moment so I am writing you again. I just want you to realize that there diseases in EVERY country of the world. And EVERY country is DOING its BEST to prevent and cure diseases. Some countries have less money and they are less efficiant in fighting it. BUT it is absolutely HORRIBLE when a person like YOU talks about people that were not as lucky as some of us when it comes to health. The worst possible thing is to laugh at people of ANY country for being sick. Just remember even if there is no God people like YOU usually end up with serious illnes themselves sooner or later. Remember that next time you talk about somebody and their disease. There are people with poor hygine habits everywhere in the world and IDIOTS like you instead of doing something useful and maybe helping certain organizations to teach people good habits, you are laughing at them. Every time I see a friend or coworker or a student doing something I try to tell them indirectly and in nice way that they are doing the wrong thing. Your sarcastic and disgusting letters do not help anybody. By the way there are a lot of very good Americans and I know one couple that adopted Russian children with certain diseases ( the couple I know- adopted a child with asthma) just because they wanted not only a child but also to adopt a child that they can help. THey adopted children can and will get better help in US because their new American parents have more money. So those people are doing more than just giving home and family to their children, they are saving their lives. And those are the Americans that you should try to copy instead of copieng somebody else's articles. Reading and meeting those Americans makes everybody happy so thanks GOD that I do not have to see things so disgusting as your posts.
NINA

[NINA]

ASTRA- you said that Russians will survive these bad times. I am sure that they will. They have survived bad periods before. Do not let some idiot make you angry. Who cares what he thinks or says. He obviously has no idea about things he is writing about. He just makes copies. Situation in Serbia is also very bad. My father's aunt in Belgrade who was ones a very wealthy women now has to clean stairwells in buildings for money and she is 72 years old. We are also helping them as much as we can. But as you said they are proud people like your mother and thousands of others like her and as long as the last one of them is alive Russia will live and survive. We have a saying that after every rainstorm comes a sun light. Better times will come for Russians too. Just be proud as you are and do not give up and things will change. My dad is a priest and our church prays every time for all Slavic people that are now in bad situation waiting for better future. Hopefully our prayers will be answered.
NINA

[Lilly]

Ladies:

The Wolf is just stirring up the waters, and muddying it up a bit too. He is just trying to encourage discussion darling. Embrace it and accept it from where it is coming from. For evey posting that he demeans Russia et al, just counter with a similar event/topic that happens in other parts of the world.

He is getting his kicks as I am. He has his charm. I look forward to seeing his next reply. Oh this is exciting! I have been gone too long.

Regards, LillyNomad


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[This message has been edited by Lilly (edited 28 November 1999).]