Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05HANOI2822
2005-10-25 10:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Hanoi
Cable title:  

HHS SECRETARY LEAVITT'S MEETING WITH THE VIETNAMESE

Tags:  PREL CASC EAGR PINR SOCI PGOV VM AFLU 
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251022Z Oct 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 HANOI 002822 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - DO NOT POST ON THE INTERNET

STATE FOR G; CA/OCS/ACS/EAP; EAP/EX; EAP/MLS; EAP/EP; INR;
OES/STC (PBATES); OES/IHA (DSINGER AND NCOMELLA)
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID/RDM/A (MFRIEDMAN)
USDA FOR FAS/PASS TO APHIS
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LSTERN)
HOMELAND SECURITY COUNCIL FOR RVENKAYYA
NSC FOR FSHIRZAD AND JMELINE
USAID FOR ANE AND GH (DCAROLL, SCLEMENTS AND PCHAPLIN)
STATE PASS USTR (ELENA BRYAN)
STATE ALSO PASS HHS/OGHA (WSTEIGER AND EELVANDER)
ROME FOR FAO
USMISSION GENEVA FOR HEALTH ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL CASC EAGR PINR SOCI PGOV VM AFLU
SUBJECT: HHS SECRETARY LEAVITT'S MEETING WITH THE VIETNAMESE
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 HANOI 002822

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - DO NOT POST ON THE INTERNET

STATE FOR G; CA/OCS/ACS/EAP; EAP/EX; EAP/MLS; EAP/EP; INR;
OES/STC (PBATES); OES/IHA (DSINGER AND NCOMELLA)
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID/RDM/A (MFRIEDMAN)
USDA FOR FAS/PASS TO APHIS
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LSTERN)
HOMELAND SECURITY COUNCIL FOR RVENKAYYA
NSC FOR FSHIRZAD AND JMELINE
USAID FOR ANE AND GH (DCAROLL, SCLEMENTS AND PCHAPLIN)
STATE PASS USTR (ELENA BRYAN)
STATE ALSO PASS HHS/OGHA (WSTEIGER AND EELVANDER)
ROME FOR FAO
USMISSION GENEVA FOR HEALTH ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL CASC EAGR PINR SOCI PGOV VM AFLU
SUBJECT: HHS SECRETARY LEAVITT'S MEETING WITH THE VIETNAMESE
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT



1. (SBU) Summary: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human
Services (HHS) Michael Leavitt met with Vietnamese Minister
of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat on
October 14 to discuss avian influenza (AI) issues and ways
to improve U.S.-Vietnam cooperation to combat AI more
effectively. Minister Phat described Vietnam's experience
with AI and the efforts the GVN is undertaking to prevent
its spread to humans, including advising farmers and local
governments on better ways to raise and transport poultry.
Both the Secretary and the Minister agreed on the importance
of good and fast science in addressing AI, and the Minister
requested the assistance of the United States and other
international partners in helping to build up Vietnam's
laboratory, research and animal medical capacities, and
vaccine-production capabilities. End Summary.


2. (SBU) U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael
Leavitt met October 14 with Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Development Cao Duc Phat (full participants lists in
paragraph 16). Welcoming the Secretary, Minister Phat
underscored his Government's hope that the United States
will join Vietnam in its effort to combat avian influenza
(AI),and added that the Secretary's presence is evidence of
strong U.S. support. Commenting on Vietnam's indelible ties
to agriculture and agricultural life, the Secretary
expressed his understanding of why and how Vietnam is going
to great lengths to take on AI. During this visit, the
Secretary's delegation hoped to understand more completely


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the connection between agriculture and human influenza,
which will affect the USG's own preparations, the Secretary
said. The United States is very concerned about AI and
wants to cooperate with the global community to ensure that,
as we deal with this problem, the interests of those who
raise livestock are looked after as much as possible, he
continued.


3. (SBU) At the invitation of the Secretary, U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and
Foreign Agricultural Services James Butler noted he had
modified his schedule in Vietnam to allow him to spend more
time with MARD counterparts to learn more about what the GVN
is doing in response to AI. Vietnam is undertaking a unique
program to vaccinate its poultry, and through further
discussions and visits we hope to understand better the
GVN's unmet needs. The United States and other
international partners could be in a position to provide
human and financial resources to allow Vietnam to succeed in
this program, Deputy U/S Butler said.


4. (SBU) Turning to an overview of AI in Vietnam and the
GVN's efforts to respond, Minister Phat said that AI first
occurred in Vietnam in late 2003 and was detected in 57 of
64 provinces by spring 2004. The disease both threatened
people's health and adversely impacted Vietnam's economic
development. From early on, the GVN recognized the
seriousness of AI and resolved to do everything in its power
to protect the health of Vietnam's citizens. Today, the GVN
continues to mobilize every means at its disposal to stop an
AI epidemic from occurring, with the paramount goal of
protecting human health. The GVN's understanding is that
only by controlling a poultry epidemic will human health be
protected.


5. (SBU) Since 2004, the GVN has implemented many programs,
such as isolating outbreak areas and culling 45 million out
of Vietnam's 250 million poultry, the Minister continued.
The GVN also halted the movement of poultry between areas
and instructed people to disinfect affected areas and farm
units. The GVN has also undertaken awareness campaigns to
ensure people know AI's dangers and the importance of
protecting their poultry flocks and their own health. In
2004, AI seriously damaged Vietnam's economic development,
costing 0.5 percent in GDP growth and killed 24 people.


6. (SBU) By the end of March 2004, AI's spread had stopped,
but there were subsequent waves in July, August, October and
November, Minister Phat said. The peak of the epidemic was
in December 2004 and January 2005. At that time, the GVN
spared nothing to control the epidemic and, thanks to prior
experience and stronger efforts, the epidemic was better
controlled than before. Therefore, only 1.5 million (versus
45 million) poultry had to be culled. From spring 2005, the
number of outbreaks has declined by about 60 percent, and,
since August 24, there have been no AI-related deaths in
Vietnam. But the problem remains complicated: a large
number of waterfowl, ducks and chickens carry the virus, but
have no clinical symptoms. In fact, the GVN found that 70
percent of the waterfowl in the Mekong Delta region had AI
positive serotests. Similarly, 1.5 percent of all chickens
had positive serotests. Further complicating things is the
fact that many ducks and chicken that carry the virus no
longer die.


7. (SBU) As a result of these new difficulties, the GVN
further strengthened its resolve to fight AI on every front
simultaneously, Minister Phat stressed. One major effort is
the GVN's information program. A lesson learned over the
past two years is that the most effective way to tackle AI
is to increase awareness among members of the public about
how to protect themselves while raising poultry. A second
effort is to instruct farmers to regularly disinfect farming
areas. A third is to undertake a vaccination program for
all bird flocks by using Chinese-made H5N1 and H5N2
vaccines, and the GVN has budgeted USD 40 million for this
effort over two years. To date, 50 million poultry have
been vaccinated, but 100 million remain, and the second
round of vaccinations is to take place in November. (Note:
Not all poultry will be vaccinated. End Note.) (COMMENT:
While Minister Phat projects confidence and competence, and
appears to be by far the Vietnamese Government official most
well-versed in the avian influenza situation, the experts
from the agricultural sector on the delegation still
harbored doubts about the Vietnamese vaccination campaign.
USDA would like to have samples of the Chinese-made vaccine
to test it for efficacy. END COMMENT.)


8. (SBU) But, as the GVN explains to farmers, vaccinations
are merely part of the equation, and other measures are
necessary, such as refraining from expanding waterfowl
cultivation and avoiding raising poultry in open areas, the
Minister continued. The GVN is also advising farmers to
change the way they raise poultry, turning from raising them
in their backyards to commercial farm production. The
Government also advised localities to reorganize their
system of transporting, slaughtering and processing poultry.
In Vietnamese urban areas, particularly in the north, people
prefer to buy and slaughter chickens themselves. Now, the
GVN says that that should not be done. In response to the
Secretary's question about enforcement mechanisms, the

SIPDIS
Minister said that, at this point, the GVN can only advise
what and what not to practice. But it is difficult, because
65 percent of all households in Vietnam have poultry in
their backyards, the Minister acknowledged.


9. (SBU) Another problem Vietnam faces is the weakness of
its animal health system, he continued. There are a
shortage of veterinary staff at the local level and a lack
of laboratories to monitor AI and test samples. Labs in
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are thus forced to work day and
night. Vietnam also lacks experts to monitor changes in the
AI virus, particularly at the genetic level. While Vietnam
very much appreciates the assistance of the labs at the HHS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),the time
it takes to exchange samples and information is too long.
If possible, it would be useful for the United States to
send its experts to Vietnam to help to monitor the disease,
the Minister suggested. The Secretary noted that this
subject, and the broader issue of how we can help Vietnam to
increase its animal health lab capacity, would be worth
further discussions between MARD and USDA during this visit.


10. (SBU) It is extremely important for Vietnam to identify
AI and how it is mutating as soon as possible and deal with
it as promptly as possible, the Minister stressed. The
Secretary agreed, noting that it appears that the United

SIPDIS
States and Vietnam are in unison on the need for good, fast
and well-planned science. The GVN has approved an action
plan, which will be transmitted to local governments next
week, the Minister said.


11. (SBU) At the Secretary's invitation, the HHS/CDC
Director Dr. Julie Gerberding asked what Vietnam's advice
would be for the United States for preventing infection of
domestic birds by migratory birds, particularly as there are
many people who hunt and could be thus exposed. The
Minister said that Vietnam is also a victim of migratory
birds, but Vietnam's lesson is about the importance of close
monitoring and supervision and identifying an outbreak as
swiftly as possible.


12. (SBU) HHS/National Institutes of Health National
Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Dr.
Anthony Fauci noted that one problem with preemptive
vaccinations is that some AI strains continue to evolve and
there are multiple bird flu strains still circulating. In
response to his question about how the GVN is addressing
this, the Minister said that the GVN is aware of this issue,
"but we have to make a choice." One part of Vietnam's
action plan is post-vaccination monitoring of poultry, but
this is a great challenge, he admitted.


13. (SBU) Dr. Alex Thiermann of the World Organization for
Animal Health (OIE) thanked the GVN and MARD for their
transparency and efforts, but noted that, while the
vaccination efforts seem to have been the right choice and
are a model for the region, they are only a temporary tool
that cannot be used permanently. The OIE will continue to
support Vietnam in its efforts, he said. The Minister
responded by asking for continued international support for
increasing Vietnam's research capacity and vaccine
production capacity. This is not a question of economics,
but a necessity because, as the virus changes, Vietnam will
need to respond quickly.


14. (SBU) Dr. Changchui He of the Food and Agriculture
Organization noted that, in pre-pandemic times, the
agricultural sector can play a role in reducing the risk to
the human population. In this regard, it is critical for
Vietnam to adopt with its partners a comprehensive strategy,
including surveillance and vaccinations. Furthermore,
Vietnam's own interagency coordination will remain vitally
important, he said.


15. (SBU) Concluding, Ambassador Marine raised the question
of Vietnam's national preparation plan and asked whether the
GVN intends to exercise or test it. The Minister responded
that there are different scenarios under the plan, which are
based on the World Health Organization's phases three, four,
five and six of an AI outbreak. For example, the scenarios
for phases five and six deal with either AI's entering
Vietnam from abroad or being homegrown. Based these varying
scenarios, Vietnam has three response models, and the GVN
will try to work out what it will do to both protect human
health and deal with poultry, and how various Government
elements should coordinate.


16. (U) Participants lists:

United States
--------------

Secretary Leavitt

SIPDIS
Ambassador Marine
Under Secretary Paula Dobriansky
James Butler, Deputy Under Secretary, USDA
Kent Hill, Acting Assistant Administrator, USAID
Julie Gerberding, HHS/CDC Director
Anthony Fauci, HHS/NIH/NIAID Director
Margaret Chan, WHO
Changchui He, FAO
Alexander Thierman, OIE
William Steiger, HHS Special Assistant for International
Affairs
Suzy DeFrancis, HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs

Vietnam
--------------

Minister Phat
Le Van Minh, DG, International Cooperation Department
Tran Trong Hai, Deputy Director, International Cooperation,
Ministry of Health
Nguyen Quang Minh, DG, Ministerial Administration Office
Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hoa, DDG, International Cooperation
Department
La Van Bam, DDG, Department of Science and Technology
Hoang Van Nam, DDG, Department of Animal Health
To Long Thanh, Deputy Director, National Center of
Veterinary Diagnostics
Tran Ngoc Thang, Head of International Cooperation,
Department of Animal Health
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Expert, Department of Animal Health
Nguyen Dang Vang, Director, Institute of Animal Husbandry
Truong Van Dzung, Director, Institute of Veterinary Research
Institute
Nguyen Ngoc Nhien, Deputy Director, Institute of Veterinary
Research Institute
Nguyen Tien Dzung, Head of Virology Department, Institute of
Veterinary Research Institute
Nguyen Thanh Son, Division Head, Agricultural Department
Le Minh Linh, Expert, National Center of Agricultural
Extension
Hoang Ngoc Bao, Senior Expert, International Cooperation
Department


17. (U) Secretary Leavitt's party cleared this message.

MARINEBOARDMAN