United Nations Radio

Ukraine has recorded more than 250,000 cases of influenza-like illnesses according to the country's Ministry of Health.

H1N1 lab worker

The World Health Organization's pandemic H1N1 update issued on Tuesday says 235 Ukrainian patients required intensive care, and, as of 2 November, 70 deaths from acute respiratory illness have been reported.

According to WHO, laboratory testing in Ukraine has confirmed pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in samples taken from patients in two of the most affected regions.

It says as the pandemic virus has rapidly become the dominant influenza strain worldwide, it can be assumed that most cases of influenza in Ukraine are caused by the H1N1 virus.

WHO strongly recommends early treatment with the antiviral drugs, oseltamivir and zanamivir, for patients who meet treatment criteria, even in the absence of a positive laboratory test confirming H1N1 infection.

At the request of the government, the UN health agency has deployed a multi-disciplinary team of nine experts which arrived in Kyiv on Monday evening.

Gail Walker, United Nations Radio
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