“American” boot in the Crimea

Recently, Kyiv was once again reminded of the famous “American felt boots.” This time, however, it was no joke, as the issue is the bird flu and the felt boots are actually sanitary boots. They are made in Ukraine, not in the United States, and were purchased by USAID for affected territories in the Crimea. Included in the shipment sent to the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea were protective gloves, goggles, gowns, aprons, and several kinds of reagents for lab tests (purchased in the Netherlands). According to US Ambassador John Herbst, the value of the humanitarian aid shipment was close to $43,000. The Americans will soon deliver modern lab equipment worth another $27,000. The ambassador noted that this aid is the result of regular meetings between US and Ukrainian officials, which began in October, when the bird flu was first detected in Romania. The US ambassador added that as soon as the virus appeared in Ukraine, his country offered to dispatch a team of experts to the Crimea. But so far the Ukrainian veterinary service has failed to respond to the offer.

The ambassador said that the United States is providing technical assistance for a public information campaign intended to inform as many people as possible about bird flu risks. In collaboration with the Ukrainian government, the Americans have launched an information campaign in the Ukrainian mass media to keep the general public informed about the safety of poultry originating in Ukraine. Together with the Ministry of Heath and the State Veterinary Service of Ukraine, they have worked out a public advertising system for radio and television networks, said the US ambassador. Herbst said that bird flu in the Crimea has not led to any increase in imports of US poultry to Ukraine, the reason being Ukraine’s high customs import rates. The Americans are convinced that the Ukrainian consumer would only benefit if those rates were lower.

Deputy Minister for Emergency Situations Vitaliy Romanchenko thanked the United States for its aid: “It is coming precisely when we need it and will allow us to carry out a broader public information campaign in the Crimea; the individual protection products will come in handy for the experts assigned to the sanitary mission. The deputy minister stressed that the Ukrainian government is doing its utmost to stabilize the situation: “There are enough funds allocated, but we are happy to use whatever aid we are offered,” stated a ministry official.

Serhiy Berezhnov, the deputy health minister and Chief Sanitary Inspector of Ukraine, announced that Russia is also helping Ukraine to fight the bird flu. “Experts from Russia’s Flu Institute have run an adequate number of tests to monitor people. The World Bank and a number of UN member states have expressed their readiness to help.”

The US ambassador said that Ukraine is the 16th country with a confirmed outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza. Fortunately, there are no cases of infection in humans. So far, the World Health Organization has recorded 137 cases, including 70 fatalities. There are no effective vaccines, so if the virus starts to mutate, we will be faced with a pandemic, he said. “This is a serious threat for Ukraine and the rest of the world.” The ambassador added that the bird flu risk has not disappeared. “In the springtime migratory birds will return to Ukraine, which are considered carriers of this virus.” USAID is prepared to continue providing crucial assistance with no strings attached, except for one condition: all this special equipment must reach those who actually need it.