«Malaria Сases Are Constantly Recorded in the City»: the Russians Hid Information about the Epidemics in Occupied Mariupol

In the document, which «Vchasno» journalists received from their own sources, it is clearly stated that during the occupation, Mariupol had already gone through several epidemics. However, the Russian occupiers took no measures to fight epidemics in the city.

«Malaria Сases Are Constantly Recorded in the City»: the Russians Hid Information about the Epidemics in Occupied Mariupol / photo: DW

The Russian occupiers destroyed absolutely the entire infrastructure in captured Mariupol at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Lack of electricity, gas supply, heating, and especially water supply became the norm. Residents of Mariupol had no water for several months. Often the only source of water was rain — people collected drops in different containers. Water was also collected from lakes and the sea, even from swampy bodies of water, and in some cases, Mariupol residents even drank from puddles. At the same time, in the spring and summer of 2022, it became known that Mariupol was vulnerable to a cholera epidemic. Not only due to the lack of clean drinking water, but also due to the inaction of the occupiers — they did not repair the sewage system, which did not work due to the bombing, and hundreds of dead bodies — Mariupol residents who died during the shelling — were lying in the houses and on the streets.

At the same time, the occupying pseudo-authorities sounded the alarm: when the occupiers realized that they failed, the Russian Federation began to spread a new fake — an attempt to «surpass» information about cholera and people’s indignation and accusations. That is why they began to blame… Ukraine.

«Today, the head doctor announced a warning that biological sabotage is possible on the part of Ukraine. They expect the cholera bacillus to appear in the water, there will be more deaths than from COVID-19. Colleagues, an outbreak of cholera is approaching!» Warning documents have already arrived at the hospital. Water is being contaminated with cholera in Russia,' one of the propaganda statements of the occupiers was published by Deputy Mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko.

In just a few months, after barely surviving cholera, the people of Mariupol met with a new epidemic — the flu. There were so many patients that the hospitals inaccessible to «ordinary mortals» were filled with people, although before that they treated mostly the military personnel of the Russian Federation. However, this did not help — the epidemic was at its height.

«At the beginning of November, the death rate per week was about 150 people, last week it had already crossed the limit of 250 people per week. It is 7−7.5 times higher than before the beginning of this phase of the war,» Petro Andryushchenko notes.

In the appeal received by the «Vchasno» editorial office, the so-called «mayor» of Mariupol Oleh Morgun was informed by the Ministry of Health of the «DPR» (unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic — ed.) that the cases of malaria and other viral diseases are constantly recorded in the city. The document is dated March 6, 2023 — more than a year after the occupiers began destroying Mariupol.

«In Mariupol, there are 63 bodies of water (rivers, beams, swamps, ditches, etc.) with an area of 547.95 hectares, where mosquitoes, midges, and other insects, which carry dangerous infectious diseases, breed. Thus, cases of malaria, cases of heartworm disease, and two cases of West Nile fever are registered in the city, and the frequency of this disease is increasing in the territory of the occupied part of Donetsk oblast. In May 2022, the growth of populations of mosquitoes and flies was recorded — twice as much as before. This could lead to an increase in parasitic diseases,» the appeal says.

Dirofilariasis is an infection by parasites of the genus Dirofilaria. It is transmitted through a mosquito bite; its main hosts include dogs and wild canids. These can give rise to granulomas in the pulmonary artery. Some common symptoms include cough, fever, and pleural effusion. It may also appear on X-rays of the chest.

West Nile fever is caused by the West Nile virus, which can be found in birds and is transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms of severe illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Doctors of civilized countries emphasize that in order to avoid these diseases, it is necessary to fight and prevent them. However, the occupation authorities refused to do this. In the appeal to Morgun, the Ministry indicated that no complex of sanitary and hydro-technical measures was provided:

«On the territory of the city, a complex of sanitary and hygienic measures to reduce the number of disease carriers is not ensured. The work plans are not agreed upon, nor is information provided about the implementation of hydrotechnical and anti-tick measures (cleaning drains, mowing grass, collecting dead wood). Exterminating disinfection measures are not carried out on water bodies.»

Despite the fact that the Ministry asked to allocate funds for the fight against diseases, it was ignored in Mariupol. Moreover, as the chief sanitary doctor of Mariupol notes above his own signature, this is not the first appeal to the authorities. In response to the previous one, the officials noted that… there are no water bodies in Mariupol on the territory of the city.

«Earlier, we sent a similar letter to the address of your predecessor. In response, we were told to contact the head of the State Committee for Water and Fishing Industry of the „DPR“. We did and received a response, that indicated that there are no water bodies located in the city of Mariupol on the Industry’s balance sheet,» the sanitary doctor adds in the response.

Today, spontaneous garbage dumps remain on the streets of the city, mice and rats infestation, and as a result — unsanitary conditions. In addition, people even break their arms trying to climb over the mountains of garbage and «repair works».

«Blazhevycha Street, 67. During the rain, you can’t reach the entrance — there are puddles up to the ankles. The pipes laid for heating have not yet been digged down and all the dirt flows to the entrance. And today a car came and dumped slag in the middle of the road near the entrance. Blocking the passage altogether. You have to climb in the mud, through a pile of garbage. A week ago, a woman broke both her arm and leg at once while trying to walk through,» a resident of Mariupol complained on November 6 on one of the local Telegram channels.

The people of Mariupol are indignant: instead of the promised prosperity, they have been living in the mud for almost two years, besides, without regular water supply and electricity. Improvements are not visible, because the Russians, as expected, decided to simply pamper themselves, ignoring the «ordinary mortals» of Mariupol, including pensioners, young people, and children. The only thing they are actively engaged in is the propaganda of the «Russian world», showing beautiful pictures on TV to the zombified population.

Author: Alina Yevych

Mariupol War in Ukraine Russian invasion Epidemics