THAILAND AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 004612 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/AIAG/JLANGE DEPARTMENT FOR OES/STC/MGOLDBERG AND PBATES DEPARTMENT FOR OES/PCI ANNE COVINGTON DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHA/DSINGER AND NCOMELLA DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID/ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL DEPARTMENT PASS CDC ATLANTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR OSEC AND APHIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR FAS/DLP/HWETZEL AND FAS/ICD/LAIDIG DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP FOR LEW STERN PARIS FOR FAS/AG MINISTER COUNSELOR/OIE ROME FOR FAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO EAGR KFLU PGOV SOCI TH SUBJECT: THAILAND AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE REF: BANGKOK 4530 BANGKOK 00004612 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Human Health: Since the death on July 24 of a 17-year-old boy from H5N1 avian influenza in Phichit Province in north-central Thailand, local public health workers have stepped up their active surveillance activities in the area. While local news reports have accentuated the increase in the number of persons being tested for avian influenza in the past few days, they have not mentioned that the increase in testing is the result of public health workers doing what they are supposed to do - seek out possible suspicious human cases in areas where there have been unusual numbers of poultry deaths. ¶2. Bangkok-based CDC personnel maintain daily contact with officials at the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). MOPH has told them that in recent days, more than 50 persons who displayed flu-like symptoms have tested negative for the H5N1 virus, but positive for the common seasonal H1 influenza virus. This is not unexpected, they said, since Thailand is currently at the height of its rainy season, when the numbers of common influenza cases peak. Laboratory testing is still pending on at least another 40 human samples, but an increase in the numbers of people being tested is not cause for alarm in itself - it is evidence that the avian influenza surveillance system is working. ¶3. In other human health news, the MOPH told CDC personnel today that testing at its central laboratory in Bangkok of two samples taken from the 17-year-old boy who died confirmed that he was infected with the H5N1 virus. The earlier, presumptive testing was performed at the Phichit provincial BANGKOK 00004612 002.2 OF 002 hospital. ¶4. Animal Health: Surveillance and testing of poultry continues, as well. Embassy's Regional Environmental and Health Officer (REO) spoke today with Dr. Nalinee at the Avian Flu Center at the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) in Bangkok and also with the head of the Lower Northern Regional Veterinary Research and Development Center in Phitsanoluk Province where a single fighting cock tested positive for H5N1 virus on July 24. The head of the laboratory in Phitsanoluk Province said they have performed more than 100 tests in recent days on more than 500 birds, but that all of the tests have been negative with the exception of the single sample that tested positive on July ¶24. ¶5. In reply to a question by REO, Dr. Nalinee stated that DLD routinely pools specimens, but combines material from no more than five birds at a time for testing - well within the 5-10 sample batch recommended by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). She also said that the DLD is sampling ducks, which are known to be able to carry H5N1 asymptomatically, as well as chickens and fighting cocks, but they have all tested negative so far. ¶6. Dr. Nalinee did not say whether she believed all the recent chicken die-offs in the central and north-central provinces were attributable to a resurgence of the H5N1 virus in Thailand. The virus is present, however, and only further surveillance and continued testing will demonstrate the extent of it. ARVIZU