KIEV, Nov. 3 – Parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to approve amendments to the 2009 budget that unlock one billion hryvnias in funds for measures to contain the swine flu outbreak in Ukraine.

The amendments were backed by 401 lawmakers in the 450-seat legislature, underscoring political support from across the spectrum for the measures suggested by the government.

The bill, which needs to be signed by President Viktor Yushchenko, calls for the money to be provided by the National Bank of Ukraine, which suggests it will be essentially printed.

“I hope that after taking into account the urgency of the situation, the president will sign this bill on Wednesday and the national bank will as soon as Wednesday provide the financing,” Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said.

The outbreak of the swine flu, reported in 11 out of 25 Ukrainian regions, is believed to have caused 80 deaths over the past three weeks with 255,500 people reporting flu-like symptoms.

The Healthcare Ministry said 14 deaths were caused by the swine flu, while the total number of flu patients at about 20,000 as of Tuesday.

The money will be spent on purchases of medicines and equipment that is needed for diagnosis of the swine flu, according to the government.

The government on Friday declared the outbreak the threat of the third level – the highest possible – which may require funding of up to 3 billion hryvnias depending on the scale of measures to be undertaken.

The government on Sunday spent 25 million hryvnias to purchase 300,000 doses of Tamiflu, a medicine that is believed to be the most effective in the treatment of the swine flu, and plans to buy 200,000 more dozes on Wednesday.

Yushchenko on Sunday appealed for urgent international assistance saying that Ukraine was not able to stop the spread of the decease on its own.

Yushchenko sent the letter to leaders of the U.S., the European Union, and the NATO alliance, as well as to Poland, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Slovakia and Hungary.

Meanwhile, a team from the World Health Organization arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday to look into the problem and to advise the country on the measures that must be taken to contain the illness.

Healthcare Minister Vasyl Kniazevych met the team on Tuesday to provide the latest update on the outbreak. The team is expected to travel to the Lviv region – one of the worst affected areas – on Wendesday.

The team is expected to work in Ukraine for the next two weeks, but would extend the stay if necessary, according to the ministry.

Seeking to contain the outbreak, the government shut down schools and banned all public gatherings for the next three weeks, the measures that immediately affect campaign for the next presidential election due on January 17, 2010.

Arseniy Yatseniuk, a presidential candidate and Tymoshenko’s biggest rival for votes in the western regions of Ukraine, on Monday said the government had overreacted to the outbreak to give Tymoshenko competitive advantages ahead of the election. (tl/ez)