Onishchenko warned of possible epidemics provoked by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station

“Cholera is a companion of disasters and floods”

As a result of the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station near Kherson, two cattle burial grounds with anthrax were washed away, the contents of which went into the Dnieper-Bug estuary. President Zelensky confirmed this in his address to environmentalists. According to the DPR media, doctors in Odessa were gathered for an emergency meeting, where they discussed plans to prevent epidemics that the region may face due to flooding caused by the explosion of a hydroelectric power station.

We discussed the problems that have arisen with the former chief sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation, Academician Gennady Onishchenko.

– What threat does the flooding of animal burial grounds with anthrax pose? Will this lead to an outbreak of this disease among the population of Kherson and neighboring regions?

– There is no threat from blurry animal burial grounds. Because there are laws of epidemiology. All animal burial grounds with anthrax are known to us. These, too, have been known to us since Soviet times, they did not appear yesterday. Such cattle burial grounds are fenced off, grazing is prohibited there. Because such a cattle cemetery can become a source of infection only in one case: if an anthrax spore gets into the body of an animal that grazes on this land, along with grass. These spores can lie in the ground for decades or even centuries. As soon as the spore enters the body of a warm-blooded creature, animal or person, it immediately turns into a living form. And the development of the disease begins. What was washed away there will not float in the water, but will settle in the bottom sediments. If all this gets into the estuary, then from there it will not be able to get into the food of a cow, small cattle, and even more so a person.

So there’s nothing to worry about at all?

– When the water comes down, it will be necessary to carry out the treatment. It was one thing when it was established soil. And today it was washed away. We know where the cattle cemeteries were. These places need to be sanitized. First, fence. Deny access to people. Secondly, to carry out analyzes and disinfection measures. Although no disinfection takes anthrax. Water control is required. If some settlement was lower than the cattle burial ground, then all this can get into the houses with silt. Therefore, it will be necessary to choose this sludge from the premises. While it is liquid, it is relatively easy to do, and when it dries, it becomes dense like cement, and you can’t take it with anything other than a jackhammer. When we encountered something similar in the Amur region, in Yakutia, there were 20-30 cm of this silt in the houses. Sometimes we vaccinated people there against anthrax. Those who will work with these washed-out animal burial grounds after the water recedes must be vaccinated in advance. Most likely, it will be employees of our Ministry of Emergency Situations. Because during this sanitation, you can really get infected.

– So, the danger of the spread of anthrax is greatly exaggerated?

– There are other very serious problems that everyone ignores. A significant number of households were flooded there. And this means that people have lost safe water supply, food, etc. They need to organize the supply of water, food, provide places for minimal rest in temporary accommodation facilities that can be equipped in schools, technical schools, and other public buildings. Or you just need to put up modern tents, because it is necessary that at least for children and the elderly there are acceptable temperature conditions. The heat itself poses a threat to them without any infection. It is necessary to organize vaccinations there, especially against hepatitis. Distribute bacteriophages there – preparations for intestinal infections. Because there will be a shortage of water, they will have to use local water at least to wash themselves. Hepatitis will certainly come with water, because for the last 20 years at least no monitoring has been carried out either of the same cattle burial grounds or of wastewater discharges in the regions upstream of the Dnieper. Because the bunch of drug addicts who are now in charge of Ukraine don’t even know what to do. And those who still remember and know at least something, they removed from all forms of power. The public cannot raise its voice. The doctors could have raised their voices, but they, as you know, were torn apart, liquidated – “optimized”, as it is now called. Therefore, everything that is happening there now is very fraught with serious consequences. First of all, on the side that is not under our control. It is very dangerous. They will not even be able to detect the disease in the early stages. People have nowhere to turn, they will get sick, self-medicate. Infections may spread. My main concern is cholera. She is raising her head now. Cholera is the companion of all catastrophes, floods, etc. This needs to be taken seriously. It is useless to speak with the Ukrainian side: everyone there is in a constant high. Today, we, our Foreign Ministry, need to raise this issue with international organizations. We can provide security on our territory. But Zaporozhye and Kherson regions are not completely under our control. And this man-made catastrophe will touch them. The explosion of the dam and the flooding of innocent people is a crime of the Kyiv regime against its own people. And here it is appropriate to use supranational legal mechanisms to bring these bombers to justice.