No cases of cholera have been detected in Ukraine yet, daily monitoring is ongoing — Chief Sanitary Doctor Kuzin

Ihor Kuzin, the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine, said this in a commentary to Espreso.

"As for cholera, we are monitoring it daily. To date, no cholera vibrio pathogenic to humans has been detected. We are talking about the entire territory, from Zaporizhzhia to Dnipro and Odesa. Moreover, we check all cases of acute intestinal infections. That is, if a person gets sick and is admitted to an infectious disease hospital, then from June 1 until the end of September, we additionally test each such case for cholera in all regions. Accordingly, such cases have been tested thoroughly since June 1. As of now, we have no confirmed cases," he emphasized.

Ihor Kuzin said that studies of surface water, centralized supply, etc. are being conducted along the entire coast in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro regions. Since June 6, when Russians blew up the Kakhovka HPP, more than a thousand such studies have been conducted.

"We are already starting to get results. What we see is the pollution of surface water bodies, including the Black Sea, the river and the Dnipro riverbed. Swimming is prohibited in Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa regions. This week, we also began to register the appearance of viruses in sea water. Therefore, a person who potentially violates the established prohibitions and swims in such bodies of water can, of course, get an urgent intestinal infection. This is not a fatal disease, it often disappears in 3-5 days," he added.

Earlier at the Military Media Center, Oleh Pavlenko, head of the State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine's Land Resources Supervision Department, noted that the flood caused by the Russians' explosion of the Kakhovka HPP contaminated the water with fuel and lubricants and pesticides. He added that cholera and E. coli bacteria were detected, but no outbreaks of disease were recorded.

"We are monitoring the southern district, taking water samples and analyzing them daily. There is no great contamination, but there have already been several cases of cholera and E. coli. The Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, which monitors the sanitary and epidemiological situation, is also analyzing the water, as many settlements, outbuildings, and sewers were flooded. We analyze the water in terms of chemistry, and they (the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station specialists - ed.) analyze it in terms of biology," said the representative of the State Environmental Inspectorate.

He added that the water from the wells can be consumed only after they are cleaned and samples are tested in the laboratory.

"The question is how it will sprout. The soil there is very heavy and saline. There is gypsum in the lower horizons," Pavlenko added.

Later, the Headquarters for the Consequences of the Kakhovka HPP explosion summarized that no outbreaks of infectious diseases have been recorded as a result of the Kakhovka HPP explosion.

"The epidemic situation in the flooded areas of Kherson and the region is monitored daily. The condition of drinking water in the water supply system, wells and boreholes is constantly monitored, as well as water from surface water bodies," the agency writes.

Experts emphasize the importance of preventive measures.

• As a reminder, on June 6, Russian occupation forces blew up the Kakhovka HPP, which completely destroyed it. Evacuation of residents of dangerous areas has begun. The President of Ukraine held an emergency meeting of the Security and Defence Council, and a meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations was held.  More news on the situation related to the HPP explosion can be found here.

• On June 7, the Ministry of Health suggested the possibility of a cholera outbreak as a result of the Russians' blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and flooding a number of settlements.

• At least 10 people died as a result of the flooding in the Kherson region. As of the evening of June 12, 41 people were reported missing.

• As of the morning of June 13, the average level of flooding in the Kherson region as a result of the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dropped to 2.7 meters, and in Mykolaiv it dropped by 3 cm.