According to the latest data of Ministry of Health, as of 05:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 1, the number of people who are ill with influenza and acute respiratory disease in Ukraine, have increased to 191,000 people, 83,000 out of them are children under 18 years.

More than 7,000 people have been hospitalized. Out of them 123 people are in intensive care department. As a result of the epidemic, 60 people died in the Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Lviv and Volyn Regions. In the Volyn region, in particular,the first fatal case has been recorded. The greatest number of deaths is in the Lviv Region - 29 people.

Health Minister Vasyl Knyazevych urges politicians not to raise panic around the influenza epidemic within a week "We have problems, as well as throughout the world," - said Minister in the air of 1+1. "I would ask the politicians to give an opportunity in the broadcasting, I appeal to the leaders of air, to give doctors an opportunity to speak”, - said Vasyl Knyazevych.

According to him, there are cases of disease and in Kiev, "but they are not confirmed." "We have not got a single case of Kiev, confirmed by laboratory", - stressed the Minister.

"After we diagnosed the Californian flu, the flu, this flu exists in Ukraine, it circulates throughout the world. We have gone into a state of the pandemic, which was announced by the World Health Organization," - he said. "The measures which we are taking are intended for the whole country", - said Vasyl Knyazevych.

He said that there is no categorical ban on the movement of people from region to region. "This is not a state of emergency. Only in the state of emergency Armed Forces and the police can guarantee order. We just recommend to abstain from such visits and trips", - stressed the Minister.

On weekends the number of visitors to cinemas has been reduced dramatically. The additional measures of disinfection are being taken in cinemas. The same is in some restaurants of Kyiv.

One of the main problems is the lack of preventive and therapeutic means. In particular, there is a lack of bulky dressings, Arbidol and Tamiflu drugs, oxolinic ointment which have been recommended by the World Health Organization for treatment of swine influenza.

Thus, hospitals in the Chernivtsi Regions received more than a thousand packages of Tamiflu. "But the Region needs ten times more", - said deputy chairman of the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration Borys Baglei.

Deficiency of Tamiflu might be made up both at the expense of domestic capacity, and supplies from abroad. In particular, according to the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, the pharmaceutical companies of the region "are ready to organize production of Tamiflu in two weeks.

Yesterday, on November 1 the Lviv region received the first part of humanitarian aid from Poland: artificial respirators, 100,000 flu masks and drug Tamiflu.

Commenting on the statement of Kharkiv Region governor Arsen Avakov that pharmaceutical companies are ready to organize production of effective flu drug within two weeks, Vasyl Knyazevych said: "We support them, we have registered the drug and its production."

According to the Minister, "this is not the original drug”. However, Vasyl Knyazevych noted that the World Health Organization recommends drug Tamiflu.

It is worth noting that today at night aircraft AN-12 arrived with an antiviral drug Tamiflu at the international airport Boryspil from Switzerland. Health Minister Vasyl Knyazevych claimed that 300,000 doses of drug Tamiflu, which arrived today at night in Kyiv, will be enough for one week for Ukraine.

The plane with valuable cargo was met by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the head of the Presidential Secretariat Vera Ulyanchenko and Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko at the airport, the presidential press office reports.

"President of Ukraine appreciates efficient realization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his head of his orders and decisions of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to provide Ukraine with assistance to fight with influenza flu," - said the head of the Presidential Secretariat Vera Ulyanchenko. On behalf of the Head of State, she expressed appreciation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for efficient work. "I would like to congratulate Ukraine that we have received the cargo we need so much in a very short time," - said Vera Ulyanchenko. Head of the Secretariat expressed the hope that the arrival of today's cargo is only the first sign in providing Ukraine with effective assistance in the fight against the epidemic.

11:19 a.m. "It will be enough to provide all regions of Ukraine with this medicine. It will be brought in hospitals and it will be given to people for free", - Tymoshenko said, adding that next week Ukraine will be provided with 300,000 doses of this drug.

Vera Ulyanchenko also reminded that President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko sent letters to the President of the European Commission, the Secretary General of NATO, the leaders of Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the United States of America with  arequest to help Ukraine. She, in particular, reminded that some humanitarian assistance, in particular, masks, have already been delivered to the Lviv Region in the framework of cooperation between this Region and several provinces of Poland.

Vera Ulyanchenko expressed special appreciation to the company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, for the decision to offer our state medicines at low cost (Hr 67 for one package, which would save hr 140 mn of budget funds).

The head of the Presidential Secretariat hopes that the presence of Prime Minister at the airport today will promote the rapid clearance of drugs and their prompt delivery to all regions of Ukraine and especially in those in which the quarantined is declared due to influenza epidemic.

Vera Ulyanchenko also emphasized the inadmissibility of the speculative sale of the drug Tamiflu.

Today, on November 2, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will hold a conference with the manufacturers of drugs and medicines at 11:00 a.m., the Cabinet’s press service reports. By materials of Ukrainskaya pravda, Kommersant-Ukraine, UNIAN

As a reminder, on October 28 flu epidemic in the Ternopil Region, which had appeared a week ago, mowed down nearly 10,000 of residents. Moreover - unknown virus has already killed seven people. Ministry of Health has confirmed 20 deaths from pneumonia in Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv Regions.

A closed meeting has been held in Ivano-Frankivsk, at which participants agreed that epidemic of the so-called "pneumonic plague" is being spread throughout Ukraine. But the problem is its form is unknown, it is ATYPICAL nobody knows how to treat it.

Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health Lilia Hrihorovich (Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense faction) is convinced of the necessity to declare the state of emergency in five regions of Ukraine. 

An epidemic of high pathogenic influenza A/H1N1 has begun when it became cold in the country, Health Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Knyazevych claimed.

A three-week vacation has been announced in all educational institutions of Ukraine. All events have been canceled in connection with epidemic of swine flu in Ukraine. Ukraine is at the highest (third) level of danger of epidemic. The State Border Committee of Belarus has sent INSTRUCTIONS to all the checkpoints on the border crossing on high alert in relation to the epidemiological situation in Ukraine. CLINICAL SIGNS OF A/H1N1 INFLUENZA ARE: headache, muscle aches, sore throat, fever, cough, runny nose, nasal stuffiness, in some cases - vomit and diarrhea.