Travel warning to Ukraine

[kehoffmann1]

I work for 3M and they put out a travel warning for its employees.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Medical Officials in the Mikolaiv region have declared it a National Health Disaster Zone.
The reason is an epidemic of illnesses among the local population and the cause is not known. They have two possible causes. One is exceptionally high levels of fertilizers sprayed in the area in spring. The other is highly poisonous fuel of nuclear missles that may have escaped into the air during the recent deactivation of various Strategic Rocket Force units. It says that authorities are starting to evacuate people from five villages ringing an old missle base and travelers should avoid the area.
They don't mention what villiages they are talking about. I guess they just want us to stay away from the whole region.
Has anyone else heard of this warning and have any details.
Just thought some of you would like to know.
Later,
Keith

[Cold Warrior]

... in response to Travel warning to Ukraine, posted by kehoffmann1 on Jun 25, 2003

[This message has been edited by Cold Warrior]

my sources tell me that at least 1 person is infected with anthrax in this area. What we don't know is if this is the naturally occurring variety or someone is up to mischief. However there is no cause for alarm. Odessa veterinary control service also detected spores of anthrax in beef, in a local market from the Nikolayev Oblast. With the politically sensitive nature of outbreaks these days, i doubt that the UA government will come clean on this.

[Jack]

... in response to Anthrax........, posted by Cold Warrior on Jun 25, 2003

The more I discuss and ask questions about this "cholera vibrios" and National Health Disaster Zone, the more I don't think the cholera that often appears in this Mikolaiv region is the same issue that Keith has brought up. There seems to be more of a ho-hum attitude towards this cholera that apparently is somewhat common in this region.

Maybe Keith (3M) and ColdWarrior are more on target with there observations than the concern, or warming, to swimmers in this region. Maybe there is somewhat of a cover-up in place to something more sinister. I have talked with several people in Ukraine over the last hour and no one is aware of this Disaster Zone. Then again people of Ukraine and Russia were not first aware of the disaster at Chernobyl until Russia (USSR) was pressured from the international community to explain what happened.

[Lynn]

... in response to Anthrax........, posted by Cold Warrior on Jun 25, 2003

Why do you suppose mother Russia does not make available "movidyn"? Supposedly it is cheap to manufacture and highly effective against these type of things. Maybe it worked too good. Could that be the reason the only manufacturing plant for it was removed from the former Czech state, during the Cold War Era, and taken into mother Russia? Never to be mentioned again.

[Jack]

... in response to Travel warning to Ukraine, posted by kehoffmann1 on Jun 25, 2003

Have my Kiev and Odessa managers on ICQ as I write.

The Mykolaiv region is Nikolaev. (Mykolaiv is the Ukraine spelling, Nikolaev is Russian spelling). It's two hours east, noth-east of Odessa.

What I am hearing is that officials and doctors have told people from Odessa to Nikolaev not to be swimming in the sea, one report was the beaches were to be closed, but people continue to swim.

Galina  (a former bio-chemist before her Firstdream life) says it is due to a "cholera vibrios". She said she is not surprised as they have this cholerae in this region almost every year.

Keith, I don't know if it's the same thing you are talking about or not. I just read your post and since I had Kiev and Odessa on-line at the time I asked them if they heard about this disaster zone and this was all they knew of.