Panic and Pandemic

According to the World Health Organization, Ukraine experienced a huge drop in diphtheria, mumps, polio, hepatitis B, TB and whooping cough vaccinations in the last year after a widespread scare about vaccine side effects. Last May, a 17-year-old boy died after he received a combined shot for measles and rubella, and though the causes of his death turned out to be unrelated to the shot, the panic spread across the country like… well like a virus.

Two factors fed this panic: an unstable government and irresponsible media. First, true to their nature, the politicians sought to use the boy’s death to promote themselves and discredit others. Instead of properly investigating the boy’s death and initiating a thorough vaccination campaign, they squabbled like they’ve been doing since the Orange Revolution. So accurate information was not made available, and vaccinations expired before a campaign could be launched.

While the public did not get any accurate information, they were inundated with rumors and drivel, because those types of stories sell. The most popular misinformation: the boy's death was caused by an Indian-made measles and rubella vaccine, which also sterilizes men as part of a plot by Ted Turner, whose charity paid for the vaccines. Why Ted Turner would want to sterilize Ukrainians, I’m still not sure. How would that be good for business? If there were more Ukrainians, he could rationalize opening a chain of Montana Grills in Kyiv. But I digress.

This most recent side effect of political instability and unreliable media causes much cause for concern. In the early 1990s, Ukraine experienced an economic crisis and didn’t really get vaccinations to the public. Combined with the scare, UNICEF estimates that almost 9 million Ukrainians need vaccinations. Since 2000, there have been two major outbreaks of measles, and experts predict another larger outbreak. Moreover, with freer visa regulations established in the last couple years, more Europeans are traveling to Ukraine, and more Ukrainians are traveling to Europe.

Thus the possibility of exporting an outbreak is more and more likely. In this blogger’s opinion, it’s incredibly important that the EU and international organizations work with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to start a campaign that will convince the public of the importance of vaccinations. Barring that, perhaps they can launch a campaign giving Ted Turner more credibility.