Two Armenian doctors will visit Southern California next month to study pediatric transplant methods at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Surgeons Gegham Poghosyan and David Dallakyan will spend six months studying pediatric liver transplant techniques, which they can then apply to their work in Yerevan, Armenia. The project is sponsored by World Children’s Transplant Fund. The Fund held a charity reception on Wednesday in conjunction with the Armenian Consulate. »»»»»

RoA Deputy Health Minister Tatul Hakobyan, during a press conference held today regarding developments in the health field, said that the average life expectancy of a male was 70 and 77 for females.

Minister Hakobyan said that mortality rates were still high but that there was a slight downward trend of late. He credited the work of the government and health ministry for the decrease. The major causes of death, according to the minister, are cardio-vascular, cancer-related, respiratory and digestive, in descending order. »»»»»

“Hetq” has learnt that another person has succumbed to the N1H1 flu virus in Armenia.

Minster of Health Assistant Shushan Hunanyan reports that an 80 year-old woman has passed away – making her the third known fatality. 11 cases of swine flu have since been registered in the country.

According to reports from the NKR Ministry of Health, four cases of the H1N1 flu virus have been registered in the country so far. Two are children, the other two senior citizens.

Nine blood samples had been sent by NKR health official to Yerevan for examination. Four turned out positive for “swine flu”. One of those afflicted is being treated on an out-patient basis. The other three had been hospitalized. One individual has already been released and a second will soon be.

According to figures from the Ministry of Health, 107 known cases of the H1N1 virus have been registered in Armenia to date, leading to two fatalities.

Shushan Hunanyan, the Health Minister’s administrative assistant, informed “Hetq” that eleven individuals are now being treated for the virus in Armenian hospitals. She added that a second emergency hot-line had been working at the ministry for the past week.

FMF, which primarily affects Greeks, Armenians, Turks, and Sephardic Jews, has ancient roots but remained a medical mystery until the mid-20th century.

The following article, dealing with “Familial Mediterranean Fever”, often commonly called the “Armenian disease” appeared in the December 21 edition of the Los Angeles Times.

One look at Ani’s swollen ankles and we knew she was in trouble.

For several years, the petite young mother had been coming to UCLA’s FMF Clinic with periodic fevers along with excruciating pain in her chest and abdomen. Now — as a urine dipstick test confirmed — her disease was also attacking her kidneys. The 4+ reading for urine protein indicated the organs were beginning to malfunction and leak serum proteins. The loss of circulating protein, in turn, explained the buildup of fluid in her extremities. If the situation wasn’t righted, fluid would eventually bloat all of her tissues. »»»»»

20% of the doctors at the “Berd Medical Center” located in Tavoush Marz have reached retirement age. Some of them have reached an age where they suffer from certain physical disabilities. The problem is that there is no one to replace them. Medical Center Director Aram Harutyunyan told “Hetq” there is no permanent anesthesiologist on staff at the hospital. “We hire an anesthesiologist from the outside. »»»»»

Shushan Hunanyan, Assistant to the RoA Minister of Health, informed “Hetq” that vaccinations against the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as “swine flu”, would begin in Armenia as of the end of January, 2010.

The vaccines have been provided by the World Health Organization. Mrs. Hunanyan said that the first to be vaccinated would be health workers and other vulnerable groups – the young, elderly and those with chronic ailments. Presently, 40 cases of swine flu have been registered in Armenia resulting in three deaths.

At the behest of the RoA Ministry of Health, additions to the law regulating the price and distribution of various medicines are being drafted that would create mechanisms allowing the government to intervene in the marketplace and regulate the price.

This move is in response to the recent price rise in certain drugs, especially those now in demand due to the drastic increase in swine flu cases in Armenia.

The number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases in Armenia has now risen to fifteen. Shushan Hunanyan, Assistant to the Minister of Health, told “Hetq” that two severely afflicted individuals are now being treated at the Nork Infectious Diseases Hospital.

“We presently have no new information regarding suspected cases. They will let us know as soon as new cases are confirmed,” she said.

Due to the recent sudden rise in the number of reported cases of the H1N1 (swine flu) in Armenia, residents have been rushing to their local drug stores to buy surgical masks and other anti-viral medical applications. The “Tekomet” apothecary told “Hetq” that they have experienced a demand for the ointment “Oksolin” and the white surgical masks. (It appears that “Oksolin” has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

A quick check on the web found “Oksolin”, manufactured by the Russian company NizhFarm, selling from $4-$8 for a 10 gram tube. The staff at “Tekomet” said that due to the rush, their supplies of the ointment often run out although masks are in plentiful supply even though the price has jumped by 100 AMD. The drugstore also said that people are now buying the “Imunal” brand of aspirin. How it differs from generic aspirin is anyone’s guess.

“Hetq” conducted the following interview with Emil Gabrielyan, Director of the RoA Ministry of Health’s Center for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Technology Testing

Mr. Gabrielyan, how are medicines licensed in Armenia and what is the process involved in their legal usage? »»»»»

During a phone conversation with “Hetq”, Sisian Medical Center Director Artyom Tadevosyan stated that the intestinal infections that sent 27 local kindergarten children to the hospital on September 5 was caused by food that have ingested.

“Today, analyses prove beyond a shadow of doubt that food poisoning was the cause, but we haven’t been able to trace the source,” stated Mr. Tadevosyan. »»»»»

A 43-year-old Azerbaijani woman and a teenage boy have been diagnosed with swine flu, the first cases of the H1N1 virus recorded in the ex-Soviet republic, the health ministry said. They were diagnosed after the woman visited Britain and the boy, who is 15 years old, visited France, ministry spokesman Anar Kadirli told AFP on Thursday.

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On July 31, 2009, a ribbon cutting ceremony marked the reopening of the Vedi Medical Center’s Children Polyclinic. Sangita Patel,head of the USAID/Armenia Social Reform Office and Mayor of Vedi Varuzhan Barseghyan cut the ceremonial ribbon . This renovation was made possible through the joint efforts of the US government, local Armenian government and the Vedi Medical Center with the support of USAID Project NOVA.

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