I’ve noted the situation in the Ukraine a few times – first with an ‘unknown’ virus outbreak, which became viral pneumonia, that was finally identified as H1N1.  It is important to point out the country may not have the ability to deal with/respond to an outbreak due to economic and technological issues, but after reading this article I have a question:

A total of 189 people have died in the outbreak, the health ministry said, and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has cancelled political rallies and ordered schools shut to try to curb it.

The toll included 17 deaths from the H1N1 flu, First Deputy Health Minister Vasily Lazorishinets told journalists.

So if 189 people died thus far in the ‘outbreak’ the Ukraine is facing, and only 17 died of the swine flu, what did the other 172 people die of?

Is there some other virus in the Ukraine?  Is this bad reporting? Bad records management by Ukraine officials?

I’m just saying… seems odd.

Related posts:

1. Swine flu goes wild in the Ukraine
2. Study Of State Results Finds H1N1 Not As Prevalent As Feared
3. From the “Just shut the f*ck up already” department… The world wants “swine” out of the name “Swine Flu”
4. Swine flu spreading too fast to count
5. Romania, the Ukraine's neighbor, quarantines all hospitals