Number of hepatitis-A cases growing in Ukraine's Lugansk region

A total of 285 people with suspected hepatitis-A, with 61 out of them being children, have been hospitalised in the city of Sukhodolsk of the Lugansk region /Ukraine/.

In the last 24 hours the Krasnodonsk city hospital has received 36 people including 14 children, the press service of the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry reported on Tuesday. The state of the patients is considered satisfactory.

152 adults and 40 children were diagnosed with hepatitis-A and the diagnosis was confirmed.

According to epidemiological forecasts the number of the diseased can reach several thousand people.

The disease is caused by water polluted by water-supplying and sewer systems.

In order to neutralise the infection chlorine contents in the water should be increased by three times, the sanitary epidemiological service stated. However, water consumption with such chemical contents will have a negative affect on human organisms. To minimise the aftermath the local water-supplying service is changing the damaged 800-metre part of the metal pipes.

Full replacement of the city pipeline is required to prevent similar incidents, but the local budget does not have $3.5 million necessary for the procedure. Evacuation of part of Sukhodolsk citizens /with the total number of them equalling 30 thousand/ to some other place is considered to be an emergency measure. Doctors are afraid that such measures can lead to spreading the virus in other Ukrainian settlements.

Ukrainian Premier Viktor Yanukovich is due to leave for Sukhodolsk on Tuesday to clear up the situation.