For the second time epidemic started to spread in a training center of the tank-automotive service branch of Ostrogozhsk (former military unit №20115). First it happened in August – September, 2011. Then, according to official figures, the number of soldiers with ARVI and pneumonia reached 700 people, four soldiers died. The audits had established the cause of the outbreak — "violations of charter requirements admitted by the command of military units".

 

Photo: ombudsman-vrn.ru

 

This year, the epidemic began in January. 688 soldiers were hospitalized, and this is almost one third of the personnel. 98 people fell ill with pneumonia. According to other sources, about 400 soldiers from the training center checked into the hospital. One of them, Ilya Morozov, died in a military hospital.

 

However, information about the epidemic of pneumonia appeared in the media thanks to the parents of soldiers. Chairman of the human rights organization "Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg" Ella Polyakova confirms that the event alarm in the military unit 20115 in Ostrogozhsk began to income to a public organization in late December and early January. Upon the demand of human rights defenders a commission headed by the chief of the medical service of the district was assigned to the Voronezh region. The audit showed that the command of a military unit hid undertreated soldiers: they were sent from the hospital to the barracks. In addition, according to Ella Polyakova, in December recruits were vaccinated including those who have had a fever. This information was reported by the parents of recruits. Human rights activists believe that we shouldn’t exclude the version that the mass disease was provoked by substandard medicines or improper grafting technique. Chairman of the “Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg” added that the health issue of newly drafted recruits will be discussed in March, at the meeting of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia.

 

Official confirmation of the information was submitted only a week after the death of conscripts, RIA "Voronezh" reports. News agency sources claim that the military unit has been trying to hide the epidemic since late December: "Employees were issued large bonuses and strict instructions not to take the information about the outbreak of pneumonia out the training center." And soldiers were asked "not to push the panic and calmly prepare for the holiday," because the situation was "under special control of the Ministry of Defense".

 

Soldiers from different regions of the country were doing military service in Ostrogozhsk. When the local military enlistment offices have learned about the outbreak of pneumonia, many of them sent formal requests to submit official reports on the health of recruits from their region. For example, the office of the Republic of Komi was interested in the state of his charges in mid-January, but still hasn’t received a clear answer: "Receiving of such information by phone is not possible in connection with quarantine in the military unit."

 

January 29, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Voronezh region Tatyana Zrazhevskaya visited a military unit. "The audit was provided with the full information transparency on the part of the leadership: everything, that was sought, was shown and explained," information from the official website of the Ombudsman.

 

Commissioner for Human Rights found out that the living conditions satisfy the requirements for maintaining health, but noted the lack of maintenance of military medical personnel. According to data provided by Zrazhevskaya, the situation has improved in recent days: there were about 200 people from the Ostrogozhsk military unit in the hospital on January 29, only 40 of them are diagnosed with "pneumonia".

 

This is also confirmed by a military prosecutor of the Voronezh military reservation Vitali Kalganov: "The situation is back to normal, there is a serious reduction of the incidence. Many soldiers have already been discharged from the hospital and sent to places of service."

 

The check was also conducted by the Main Military Procuracy.

 

"Violations of laws in providing safe conditions of service and the implementation of preventive measures to prevent viral and infectious diseases admitted by the command were detected," a representative of the supervisory authority informed "Interfax".

 

"Interfax" also reports that a criminal case under article "violation of sanitary-epidemiological rules resulting the death of man" was opened. However, Vitali Kalganov told «7x7», that "the case is only going to be opened", while he hasn’t seen an official document confirming the information yet.

 

A month ago, on December 27, the captain of medical service of the Ostrogozhsk military unit Alexander Zolotavin committed suicide. People who knew him suspect that it may be somehow connected with the outbreak. Parents of Alexander wrote in a social network "VKontakte" that the responsible doctor bought medicines for soldiers at his own expense.

 

RIA "Voronezh" reports: "According to the person well acquainted with the captain, this death wasn’t the result of personal or family circumstances. Military doctor, he loved life and his work, dreamt about the future, wanted career advancement and planned to enter the academy. The deceased has a wife and two children." In the military procuracy of the Voronezh military reservation this situation hasn’t been commented yet as the initial inquiry into the suicide of the doctor is conducted.

 

Yekaterina Bogdanova, «7x7»

 

Original: http://7x7-journal.ru/item/37102