Ukraine reacting strongly to flu

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

news link

Seems a very strong reaction to the pandemic to close schools for 3 weeks and limit travel. I wonder what the real reason is? flu related or not?

Could be I suppose, I don't know anything about the healthcare system in the Ukraine. It seems very drastic - especially the travel restrictions. Not sure how stable their politics is at the moment [dunce cap]

another news link

I see that their election campaigns are due to start. Also the old gazprom thing is in the headlines.

I think it is a good idea actually. I think the Eastern Bloc has a tradition of reacting in a much more authoritative way towards illness [dh talks about having to dip his hands in disinfectant at school as a kid before lunch] I think if you can nip it in the bud it is a good thing, and may be cost effective.

Its hopefully that As long as its not a sign that the virus is becoming more virulent. Will see in a week or so I suppose.

Oh God I hope that's not it.

See, now why did WE not do this?

I think our govt was really apathetic about trying to limit spread. Of course it's going up now and schools are back and it just makes it so easy to transmit.

Forgot about webchat, am off to read what happened on that earlier!

Btw has it kind of finished in Australia etc now? Should we think about going there for the winter?

it has finished in aus for now.

I tend to think theres more of a political reason tbh for the Ukraine. Worth keeping an eye on though.

fwiw, our rates of infection increased comparatively during June/July, when our schools were still open but European schools were closed; then rates dropped over the summer holidays; then European schools went back before ours & their rates increased; & then ours went back & so did ours.

It's a no-brainer really but schools can't be closed indefinitely

(Chernobyl is in Ukraine. They probably still have lots of low resistance to infection)

Yes but with large outbreaks I do think schools should close. They won't though will they because govt want parents at work.

And a lot of parents want or need to be at work, too, and the government are scared of pissing people off.

SAHPs could keep a lot of kids off school easily enough.

But it's a pandemic, which is a pretty darn large outbreak. How long would you close the schools for? All winter? All year? Because the pattern globally seems to be that whenever the schools are open the infection rates rise, and that's been the case for months already.

why should sahp keep their kids home (and miss out on their education) while woh parents send theirs, school is for education it isnt childcare

Well they might want to keep them home to keep them safe! I'd like the option, personally - not for the whole pandemic but maybe if cases really got high in my local area or my kids' school.

If they're only NOT closing schools because they don't want to inconvenience working parents and the economy, even though they know that the children would be safer if they did, then why should children whose parents work at home or are SAHPs have to go to school as well?

If cases were starting to take off in a particular school it would make much more sense to let people who are able to have their kids at home for a while have them at home, than to treat it like any other time and penalise them for unauthorised absence.

'Safer' I mean, not 'safe' - it would reduce the risk, not eliminate it, unless you went all nuclear bunker over it, and that would be a bit OTT! And it would benefit the teachers and children at school as well - if in a particular school they could cut the top off the peak of an outbreak in that school by closing, or even by half the pupils not being there for a couple of weeks.

I'd be quite happy to put up with my child being a bit behind for that. After all, if this winter is bad for swine flu, then the 09-10 academic year might always be known as one where everyone got a bit behind because of swine flu outbreaks, so it'll all get taken into account in the end.

Robin I am totally with you...I don't necessarily think everything ought to shut immediately, but I do worry that there is going to be a large rise in cases at ds's school and we won't be allowed to keep him at home because they're frightened of getting low attendance...I think I may rebel in that instance and do it anyway.

Mind you we've been given a tamiflu number for him as he has a bad cold with high temp, really not sure this is SF...will see how bad I feel when I get it!

Keeping them off school only works if you then keep them at home and don't go out.

Obviously unless you restrict them from having any social contact at all can you entirely avoid the risk, BUT being in a classroom with 29 other small children none of whom remembers to cover their mouth when coughing, etc etc is going to cause a higher risk than walking down a street, isn't it?

The graphs do very clearly show a plummet in the number of infections when the schools closed for summer and a subsequent sharp rise when they reopened. Pandemic modelling (before all this) showed that shutting schools not only reduces the number of overall cases, it spreads out the pandemic, allowing healthcare systems to cope better.

I'm not arguing either way, just throwing that into the mix

If this news report is even half accurate then it is no wonder the Ukraine are reacting in the way they are.

Do you think we are all doomed?

How scary. I do wish there was the option of keeping my dc at home for the rest of this term. I have just got over terrible bronchitis and struggling to breathe for a month, and am dreading real SF.

Po, you might find it much milder...Expat had it a few months ago and said it was relatively easygoing for at least some of her family, IIRC.

Yes hope so FA but the fact is affects the lungs so badly has been a worry. I do hope it isn't getting more aggressive.