Secret document: Belarusians die from pneumonia complicated by swine flu
- 3.11.2009, 15:08
Medical workers report to the Health Care Ministry that, about ten people have died in Minsk from pneumonia, a A(H1N1) flu complication.
Journalists managed to get a medical report saying the cause of death of two persons of 27 and 36 years old (they died on the same day) was pneumonia. RNA of A(H1N1) flu were detected in their tissue samples.
The 27-year old man had a high temperature and went to a local polyclinic, was treated at home, but after some days taken to hospital #6, where he died on October 26.
According to a source of “Belorusskie Novosti”, it is mostly young people who die from the A(H1N1) virus in Belarus.
The difficulty is that a death certificate is only the first step to prove the cause of death was the virus. According to the source, it give the officials an opportunity to sit on their hands and speak about the mixed infection, etc. Post-mortem and histologic examinations are needed to confirm the death was caused by the A(H1N1) virus. Medical officials can state the flu is just a background disease, but not a ground for the complications, and will be right formally.
For the moment, the medical worker has information about ten confirmed death cases of A(H1N1) flu. He states: “The pneumonia, we are speaking about, is a complication of A(H1N1) flu, it is not a bacterial pneumonia. A sick person chokes and can’t breathe. He prescribed artificial ventilation, but dies. This takes three or four days.”
The source notes a fast growth of pneumonia cases in Belarus and in Minsk. He states that the number of fatal cases exceeds the normal statistics for this period of year. There are many patients with pneumonia in intensive therapy units. He can’t say whether all of them are checked for the A(H1N1) virus.
The physician’s statement can’t be proven officially. According to some reports, medical workers are not permitted to say any information about the current situation with the A(H1N1) virus. Requests to the Health Care Ministry remain unreplied. The ministry representatives deny death cases of swine flu or refuse to give any comments in order to prevent panic. Officials never think it is impossible to hide the truth for long, it will leak and gather rumours and make even greater panic.
Attempts of the authorities to hush up the situation are short-sighted, the physician said. The current situation needs not reports saying it is under control, but urgent measures.
He gives an example of behaviour of the Ukrainian government: “The country has asked for help and received it. 600,000 doses of Tamiflu, bought by the Ukrainian government, had already been delivered. In accordance with medical norms, this is enough to supply all regions of Ukraine and make reserves.”
The medical worker emphases that Belarus becomes a proving ground where the virus is tested in natural condition, when preventive measures are insufficient and treatment is minimal: “The duty of the health system is to buy the necessary medicines beforehand and be able to forecast keen demand. At least, sufficient number of protective masks must have been purchased. It finds out that our medical system is not effective to fight the epidemic. The officials continue to state the virus is raging in Ukraine and Russia, but not in Belarus. “
The physician emphasized: the Belarusian medical workers are not allowed to give information to the public (that’s why the source wants to stay unanimous). He proves this with own examples: “We are constantly told not to sow panic, which means we can’t give true information. We are strictly forbidden to speak with the press... An attempt to decrease the number of disease cases in Belarus comes to absurdity and forgery. Medical issues become political issues. They twist our arms forcing us to make politically correct diagnoses. Influenza is another proof in this range.”