Doctor of Medical Sciences Holubovska in Mykolaiv: We need to prepare for a new pandemic, worse than COVID-19

During her visit to Mykolaiv, the President of the Ukrainian Association of Infectious Disease Specialists, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Olha Holubovska announced the possibility of a new pandemic, which could be even more dangerous than the previous ones.

She stated this on Monday, August 19, during a briefing on the preparation of the Mykolaiv region for possible epidemiological outbreaks, NikVesti writes.

According to her, the World Health Organization initiated a mission in different regions of Ukraine with the aim of identifying problems on the ground and creating normative documents for epidemiologists and doctors in case of various pandemics.

«This mission was proposed by the World Health Organization. Its purpose is to identify priority diseases, and these are the diseases that, unfortunately, are currently causing such a strain on the public health system, such as some intestinal infections, botulism, and the risks of other diseases, such as cholera, for example. According to the result of this mission, it will be determined in which regions there are problems, and the creation of regulatory documents for epidemiologists and doctors at the state level. Currently, we do not have any regulatory document for this nosology,» she said.

The head of the Mykolayiv RMA Vitalii Kim, the president of the Ukrainian Association of Infectious Diseases, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Olha Holubovska and the Ukrainian epidemiologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Nataliia Vynohrad. Photo: NikVesti

She also noted that the situation with COVID-19 was only the beginning of serious challenges that await humanity. In particular, information about the outbreak of a new pandemic was announced at the World Health Assembly in 2021, and Ukraine should take these warnings into account when planning its measures to combat infectious diseases.

«Very serious infectious challenges await us, you will remember my words. And they will not only be local, they will also be global. In 2021, the World Health Organization already in 2021 officially warned about a possible new pandemic, which could be even worse than COVID-19. This was done at the World Health Assembly,» said Olha Holubovska.

She emphasizes that there is now a need to create new regulatory documents for epidemiologists and doctors, particularly for many high-priority diseases, including intestinal infections, botulism and the potential risks of cholera. And also to consider the possibility of repurposing medical facilities to effectively combat new threats.

«I will remind, if anyone does not remember, that in 2018, the WHO also warned us that a pandemic awaits us. What was done in 2018 against this background? You remember, the sanitary-epidemiological service was collapsing. They destroyed the main sanitary doctors, there were none at all. We met a pandemic, no epidural investigation function was transferred to anyone. No public health center or laboratory centers. And when it happened, as it turned out that you can have chief sanitary doctors in the country, they were returned very quickly, right? Therefore, we must have at least some countermeasures,» she said.

Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Olha Holubovska and Ukrainian epidemiologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Nataliia Vynohrad, deputy of the Mykolaiv Regional Council Svitlana Fedorova Photo: NikVesti

Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Olha Holubovska and Ukrainian epidemiologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Nataliia Vynohrad, deputy of the Mykolaiv Regional Council Svitlana Fedorova Photo: NikVesti

Visit of representatives of the mission of the World Health Organization in Ukraine to Mykolaiv. Photo:NikVesti

Volodymyr Klochko, chief sanitary doctor of the Mykolaiv region. Photo: NikVesti

Acting Iryna Tkachenko, head of the health care department of the Mykolaiv Oblast, and Yurii Hranaturov, vice-governor. Photo: NikVesti

Nataliia Vynohrad, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Svitlana Fedorova, deputy of the Mykolaiv Regional Council. Photo: NikVesti

Acting Iryna Tkachenko, head of the health care department of the Mykolaiv Oblast, and Yurii Hranaturov, vice-governor. Photo: NikVesti

Visit of representatives of the mission of the World Health Organization in Ukraine to Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Oleksandr Demianov, chief physician of the Mykolaiv Emergency Hospital. Photo: NikVesti

Deputy of Mykolaiv Regional Council Svitlana Fedorova. Photo: NikVesti

Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Olha Holubovska and Ukrainian epidemiologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Nataliia Vynohrad. Photo: NikVesti

Acting Iryna Tkachenko, head of the health care department of Mykolaiv RMA. Photo:  NikVesti

Deputy of Mykolaiv Regional Council Svitlana Fedorova. Photo: NikVesti

Visit of representatives of the mission of the World Health Organization in Ukraine to Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Visit of representatives of the mission of the World Health Organization in Ukraine to Mykolaiv. Photo: Nik|Vesti

We will remind that in July, Ukraine recorded a sharp increase in the number of cases of COVID-19, almost 12 thousand cases, in June there were two thousand, but the load on hospitals is not so great. Chief sanitary doctor Ihor Kuzin does not see the need to introduce restrictive measures at the moment.

In August 2024, the Ministry of Health (MOH) approved updated recommendations for vaccination against the coronavirus.