TAIWAN: AVIAN FLU UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 004645

SIPDIS

STATE PLEASE PASS TO AIT/W, EAP/RSP/TC AND OES/IHA
HHS PLEASE PASS TO ERIKA ELVANDER
GENEVA PLEASE PASS HEALTH ATTACHE DAVID HOHMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMED AMGT CASC ECON SENV SOCI TBIO TW ESTH
SUBJECT: TAIWAN: AVIAN FLU UPDATE

REF: A) SECSTATE 151549 B) TAIPEI 3598 C) TAIPEI
3742 D) TAIPEI 3713 E) TAIPEI 4067 F) TAIPEI
4264 G) TAIPEI 4128 H) TAIPEI 4160

1.(U) Summary. Taiwan has protested British claims that
birds from Taiwan carried the H5N1 virus to the UK. Council
of Agriculture (COA) authorities claim that Taiwan is
currently free of H5N1 and that the Taiwan birds had
undergone several checks and were certified healthy before
they were shipped. Cross- Straits communication on AI has
taken place on a number of occasions this year, primarily
though Taiwan NGO's. Taiwan plans to beef up its liaison
with health organizations in Hong Kong and Macau to be
prepared for a possible AI outbreak. Taiwan authorities will
hold talks with Roche concerning licensing of the Tamiflu
vaccine and are confident they can produce generic version
of the drug. End Summary

Taiwan Doubts UK's AI Report
--------------


2. Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) has complained to
British authorities about reports that 53 birds imported
from Taiwan died in quarantine outside of London from the
deadly H5N1 virus. The UK claims that a parrot imported
from Suriname in late September, which tested H5N1 positive,
had caught the deadly virus from silver-eared mesias birds
imported from Taiwan while they were all held in quarantine
together.


3. A shipment of 185 birds, including 100 mesias, supplied
by a farm in central Taiwan left Taiwan by air Sept. 27 and
arrived in Britain on Sept. 28. According to UK officials,
4 mesias died on arrival and 49 mesias died while in
quarantine. In October, British authorities first alleged
that a parrot imported from Suriname and held in quarantine
near London had been found to have the H5N1 viral strain,
and another bird held there, a Taiwan mesia, may have also
caught it. However, On Nov. 16, the British concluded that
it was the mesias imported from Taiwan that most likely was
the source of the H5N1 virus.


4. COA officials told AIT that Taiwan authorities strongly
objected to the report, saying that Taiwan is currently free
of H5N1 and that the Taiwan birds had undergone several
checks and were certified as healthy before they were loaded
onto the plane. COA officials doubt the accuracy of the
British report and have raised several questions. The
British report stated that the 49 Taiwanese mesia birds died
on Oct. 7, which is ten days after arrival. COA believes it
unlikely that the infected birds could have survived until
that day if the mesias had contracted the H5N1 virus before
arriving in England. Aside from the 100 mesias, all the rest
of the 85 birds from Taiwan tested H5N1 negative and were
culled on Oct. 21. COA questions why birds from Suriname
and Taiwan were kept in the same quarantine space and why
tests were pooled. COA also questioned the discrepancy in
the number of mesias. COA officials told AIT that Taiwan's
records show the shipment contained exactly 100 mesia birds,
however, the British report put the number at 101. The
British reports also showed that no tests had been done on
34 birds from Suriname which arrived on Sept. 16, but which
died before the Taiwan mesias died on Oct. 7. UK
authorities only took samples of the two Suriname birds that
were found dead on arrival. It is unclear how many mesias
UK authorities examined had tested positive with H5N1.
Taiwan officials stated that the British report is ambiguous
and COA believes that the H5N1 virus existed in the
quarantine facility before the Taiwan birds arrived.


5. Taiwan's Bureau of Animal Plant Health Inspection and
Quarantine Bureau (BAPHIQ) told AIT that Taiwan is deeply
concerned over this issue and has delivered protest messages
to the British Trade Office in Taipei, but has not received
a response. Taiwan will send veterinary epidemiologists to
the UK soon to examine the situation. In addition, BAPHIQ
plans to send a letter to both British officials and the
World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to express
dissatisfaction with the way the incident was handled by
British authorities.

Bird Flu Subvirus Found in Tainan, Not a Threat
-------------- --


6. The Animal Quarantine Division of BAPHIQ confirmed on
Nov. 17 that it detected H7N3 virus in bird droppings found
in a wetland in Tainan on Nov 14. BAPHIQ announced to the
public and confirmed to AIT that H7N3 is a low pathogenic AI
virus and poses no threat to humans. BAPHIQ stated samples
will be taken from every chicken farm within a 3 km radius
of where the H7N3 virus was found in Tainan for the next
three months. Taiwan's Animal Health Research Institute, a
facility under COA, has conducted routine AI surveillance of
migratory water fowl since August 1998. During that time,
it has tested more than 20,000 samples and detected avian
influenza virus strains in 270 of the samples (as of October
2005). None of the strains isolated were highly pathogenic
or H5N1. The samples were collected from six different
locations throughout Taiwan. The Institute also tests
commercial poultry operations on a routine basis. As of
Nov. 15 this year, 2,475 samples of AI virus of migratory
birds have been taken, and samples have been collected from
524 chicken farms, 85 duck farms and 52 goose farms.

Cross-Strait AI Exchanges
--------------


7. China's Taiwan Affairs Office announced on Nov. 16 that
China's Cross Strait Agriculture Exchange Association has
notified Taiwan of the PRC's AI status through Taiwan NGOs -
the Red Cross and Medical Associations - fifteen times
already this year. However, as China confirmed on Nov. 16
its first human cases of AI, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs
Council said that AI cases have been found in eleven of
China's provinces, but China has only announced six cases.
Taiwan plans to seek enhanced communications with health
authorities in Hong Kong and Macau and with international
health organizations to be better prepared in the event of
further AI outbreaks in China.

Tamiflu Licensing
--------------


8. Taiwan's Office of Intellectual Property is scheduled to
hold talks with Roche Nov. 18 in Taipei on licensing Tamiflu
for production by Taiwan firms. The National Health Research
Institute reiterated its ability to produce a generic
version of anti-viral Oseltamavir. CDC Director Steve Kuo,
after returning from a WHO AI conference held in Geneva on
Nov. 15, said that on the issue of Roche releasing the
Tamiflu patent the WHO has been purposely ambiguous except
to say on-going negotiations have been taking place and
favorable progress has been made. Kuo said that some
nations had expressed doubts over whether Taiwan could make
a generic version of the drug, but he was confident that
Taiwan could do so. Kuo also stated that WHO planned to
hold regional AI drills around the world and that Taiwan
hoped to participate.

Paal