Lithuania began talking about the H1N1 influenza only when the virus has killed some 22 people in Ukraine so far.  In a traditional relaxed manner the Ministry of Health kept enlightening the population how to prevent being infected by the virus for instance, having a cold shower in the morning, drinking tea with honey and lemon, and do not leave home if the symptoms of influenza would start show up.

However, despite the panic in the neighbouring Nordic nations, who managed to acquire the vaccine (in Sweden two dozes of the vaccine per citizen), Lithuania did even manage to get itself into the queue on time for purchasing the vaccine.  The Ministry kept informing those who were interested that everything is under control, and it is too early to panic.

Alfa.lt quoted BNS stating that Lithuanian does not posses any vaccine against the virus, but has anti-virus medicine for some 3.5 percent or 150.000 people.   Vilnius will decide whether to buy such vaccine only this week, the Vice Minister of Health Arturas Skikas said.  ‘We will decide this week whether to the vaccine.’

Asked if it would be cheaper to cure already infected patients rather than vaccinating the healthy once he replied that in order to achieve desired results some 30 percent of all population must be vaccinated.  Vaccination in such scale would cost very dearly for Lithuania, the Vice Minister noted.  He also confirmed that if the anti virus vaccine would be ordered now it would reach Lithuania only at the beginning of 2010.

However, the Vice Minister confirmed to the Ziniu Radijas that Lithuania is very well prepared to cope with the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza.  The domestic situation is under control; there have been 57 confirmed cases of the swine flu to this day in Lithuania.  There is a possibility that Lithuania will cope well.  However, it would be great if Vilnius would think strategically and plan ahead instead of doing everything at the last minute, as a student who never managed to mature.  Still, the Lithuanian media reporting that similar situation prevails in the neighbouring Baltic States, even in Estonia, who is more ‘Baltic’ than ‘Nordic’ this time.  On the hand even Bulgaria and Romania is offering vaccine for their population though…

Meanwhile the Foreign Ministry has recommended that Lithuanian citizens call off travels to Ukraine amid an outbreak of the A type (H1N1) influenza.  According to calculation in the worse case scenario Lithuania could have some 20.000 mortalities if the virus would spill out of control in the country.  Antanas Matulas, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Health Committee admitted to the public radio admitted that Lithuania is not ready.  He admitted that Lithuanian might consider to ask for help from the other countries.