15 years after - Chernobyl continues to blight the lives of millions
26 April 2001

Thyroid cancer continues to rise and the need for psychological support is growing among the seven million people who live on more than 160,000 square kilometres of land in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine still contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident on April 26, 1986, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Red Cross in these countries annually provides medical screenings for an estimated 90,000 people with a special focus on children and young adults who were children at the time of the accident. 500,000 people have been screened since 1994. Some 170,000 of those screened were referred to specialized medical institutions for further examination or treatment.

"An increasingly important part of our action is the psychological support to the affected population whose suffering has not diminished simply because the plant was finally closed down six months ago," said the Federation's emergency health coordinator, Dr. Hakan Sandbladh. "The need is obvious, as it is estimated that more than three million people suffer from post-traumatic stress reactions such as anxiety, tension, insomnia and a sense of insecurity about the future - not to mention addiction to drugs and alcohol."

Psychological support has been provided to 45,000 people to date through a network of 250 trained volunteers and the Federation is running a pilot project with psychologists attached to two out of the six Red Cross Mobile Diagnostic Laboratories working in the contaminated zone.
2.5 million people have benefitted from the Red Cross Chernobyl Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation Programme (CHARP) since 1990. Over 12 million Swiss francs has been spent on the programme which has included the distribution of milk powder, vitamins, medicines and information materials.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Solveig Olafsdottir, Information Officer, Tel.: +41 22 730 4296/ + 41 79 217 3372

Marie-Francoise Borel, Information Officer Tel: +41 22 730 4346/ + 41 79 416 3881

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.