public health

Norovirus outbreak sweeps cruise ship, 120+ people infected

A mass outbreak of a highly contagious stomach virus has been detected on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship on a 20-day voyage from San Francisco to Canada and Alaska, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on July 3.

3 July, 02:25 PM

Hantavirus outbreak cruise ship MV Hondius arrives in Netherlands

The MV Hondius cruise ship, where a hantavirus outbreak occurred, docked in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on May 18, where authorities will disinfect the vessel and place remaining crew members — including four Ukrainians — in quarantine, local outlet NOS reported on May 18.

18 May, 06:41 PM

Spain begins evacuating MV Hondius passengers after deadly hantavirus outbreak

The cruise ship MV Hondius, hit by a hantavirus outbreak, arrived off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands as medical personnel boarded the vessel to carry out final checks and begin evacuating passengers, Reuters reported, citing a Spanish Health Ministry statement on May 10.

10 May, 01:29 PM

Man dies outside Kyiv metro station after workers allegedly refused to bring defibrillator

A man died outside the Politekhnichnyi Instytut metro station in Kyiv on May 8 after bystanders performing CPR were allegedly denied access to a defibrillator kept inside the station three times, according to Masha Nazarova, a medical instructor and co-founder of the ReaniMetro initiative, who described the incident on Facebook.

9 May, 09:28 PM

Norovirus, not canteen food, sickened Ukrainian lawmakers

A norovirus infection caused the mass illness among Ukrainian lawmakers and Verkhovna Rada staff, not food from the parliament canteen, the State Management of Affairs’s Preventive Medicine Center concluded after PCR testing and investigation, the legislature announced on Feb. 19.

19 February, 04:05 PM

Lubinets warns pharmacies in small towns could shut down under new drug pricing rules

Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, criticized the government’s new drug pricing policy, warning it could force pharmacies in remote areas to close.

8 April 2025, 07:31 PM

First cannabis-based medicine registered in Ukraine

Ukrainian regulators have officially licensed the first cannabis-based medicine—oral drops from a Spanish brand—for sale in the county, Ukrainian MP and sitting Healthcare Committee member Olha Stefanishyna announced on Jan. 8.

8 January 2025, 09:33 PM

Metapneumovirus in Ukraine: Health Ministry assures control, provides guidelines

The Ministry of Health in Ukraine has assured the public that the situation with the spread of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is fully under control and has provided guidelines to prevent infection in a Facebook post on Jan. 5.

6 January 2025, 01:47 PM

Ukrainian pharmacies can now administer flu vaccines

Ukraine’s Health Ministry has started licensing pharmacies to administer flu vaccines directly on-site, the ministry announced on Oct. 23.

23 October 2024, 09:04 PM

Kyiv braces for Caspian dust storm

Air quality in Kyiv and much of Ukraine deteriorates as a dust storm from Russia's Caspian region has enveloped the country. The Health Ministry warned the residents of the capital against going outside, in a Facebook post on Sept. 30.

30 September 2024, 08:35 PM

Government amends medical cannabis regulations

The Cabinet of Ministers has excluded cannabis, its oils, and extracts from the official list of banned substances, Ukraine’s Healthcare Ministry announced on May 24.

24 May 2024, 08:50 PM

Pro-Russian editor's new role at Health Center causes stir

Former editor-in-chief of pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk's ZIK channel, Darya Gordiyko, was named head of the Communications Department at the Ministry of Health's Public Health Center, according to a March 4 Facebook post by Antonina Dolomanzhi, a fellow employee in the department.

5 March 2024, 03:50 PM

public health