93% of Belarusians don’t trust official information about epidemic

• 3.11.2009, 10:39

The results of voting during yesterday’s Vybor (Choice) talk show on ONT TV channel were really shocking.

The program was dedicated to the swine flu epidemic, raging in all neighbouring countries. But Belarusian officials state people don’t die from swine flu in Belarus.

Chief medical officer of Belarus Valyantsina Kachan promised during the talk show not to hide information if someone dies from swine flu.

“I’d like to assure: if we are 100% certain a person has died exactly from this virus, we will record this case and let know the media,” Kachan said.

According to Kachan, it’s confusing to her to hear that people doubt the reliability of the information given by the Health Care Ministry.”

The chief health officer repeated the information about 59 cases of the A(Н1N1) virus, or swine influenza, that were confirmed in laboratories.

The Republican Scientific and Practical Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology and five Russian institutions were ordered to examine alteration and composition of the virus to “find out a reason” for rapid growth of complications in a number of cases, especially of a patient asks for medical help late, “because it is really difficult today to give simple and concrete answers to these questions”.

According to head of the primary care department of the Health Care Ministry Lyudmila Zhylevich, all fatal cases of pneumonia have been examined in laboratories. The results show it was a “mixed infection”.

All people suffering from swine flu are on the way to recovery. The last five people will be discharged from inflectional hospital “in a day or two”, Zhylevich told.

The results of the telephone voting were announced at the end of the programme. 93% of the respondents do not trust these statements and think the authorities hide the true situation.