Visit of HHS Secretary to Guangzhou Highlights Infectious

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 GUANGZHOU 032406 SIPDIS PACOM FOR FPA STATE FOR EAP/CM, EB, AND OES HHS FOR MCKEOWN, STEIGER, AND BHAT, OGHA CDC FOR BLOUNT, COGH BANGKOK FOR ESTH AND CDC SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO SOCI ECON ELAB PGOV SCUL SENV CH SUBJECT: Visit of HHS Secretary to Guangzhou Highlights Infectious Diseases and Preparedness REF: A) Guangzhou 17685; B) Guangzhou 6174 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and his delegation met with doctors, hospital and orphanage administrators, students, and businesspersons to discuss infectious diseases and health-care issues during a December 11-12, 2006 visit to Guangzhou. Highlights of his visit included a conversation with an unusually lively and forthright group of students at Zhongshan Medical School; a meeting with a medical worker at a hospital who had contracted and recovered from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS); a review of cooperative projects between HHS, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Guangzhou City authorities; and a walk through a wet market to observe health measures taken by Guangdong municipal authorities to prevent an outbreak of avian influenza. Local media provided extensive coverage of the visit; local and Provincial Chinese officials with whom the Secretary met were overwhelmingly positive in their feedback. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) During a December 11-12, 2006, visit to Guangzhou, HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt visited the Guangzhou Children's SIPDIS Welfare Institute, the Number 3 Teaching Hospital, the Number 8 People's Hospital, the Guangdong Provincial Center for disease Control (GDCDC),a city "wet market" (live-animal market),and the Guangdong Vice Governor in charge of health issues. The Secretary's delegation of 15 persons included HHS Chief of Staff Richard McKeown; HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Suzy DeFrancis; HHS Assistant Secretary for Health ADM John Agwunobi; and HHS Special Assistant for International Affairs William Steiger. Chinese Vice Minister of Health Chen Ziaohong and Dr. Ren Minghui, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation in the Chinese Ministry of Health, also accompanied the Secretary. AmCham Breakfast: Preparing for an Epidemic -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During a December 11 breakfast sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) of South China, Dr. Zhong Nanshan, Chair of the China Medical Association and President of the Guangzhou Respiratory Diseases Research Institute, presented an overview of China's experience to date with the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza. According to Dr. Zhong, China has had 21 human cases of H5N1, 14 of which were fatal. The majority of victims contracted the disease through contact with sick or dead poultry, including at open-air markets. Eight cases, however, showed no sign of such contact, and transmission could have occurred through contact with wild birds. ¶4. (SBU) Dr. Zhong, known as the "SARS hero" because of his leadership during the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, highlighted the importance of transparency and rapid response in treating AI cases. In a June 2006 case in Shenzhen, doctors cured an H5N1 victim who was succumbing to multiple organ failure by performing a tracheotomy and administering convalescent serum collected from another patient who had contracted the H5N1 virus and survived. [Note: ADM Agwunobi and the HHS medical professionals regard this technique as particularly risky and unproven. End Note]. Dr. Zhong expressed confidence in a new human H5N1 vaccine - currently in the experimental phase - that he and Chinese colleagues are developing. The event also featured Dr. Tang Xiaoping, President and Chief-Physician of Guangzhou Number 8 People's Hospital, who said the nature of infectious diseases makes containment impossible in today's global world. Cooperation between countries, especially the United States and China, is essential to prevent the next pandemic. More Than an Orphanage -------------- ¶5. (SBU) During a visit to the Guangzhou Children's Welfare Institute, which currently houses 700 children and supervises an additional 600 in family-based foster care, the Secretary had an opportunity to observe and interact with children between the ages of one and three. The Institute employs 380 medical personnel, including surgeons, who are especially skilled in care for those who come to the orphanage with disabilities. The facility also provides education - from pre-school to occupational training - so the children can become independent adults. The facility assists adult children in finding work, though those who are disabled can stay to live on-site. GUANGZHOU 00032406 002 OF 004 ¶6. (SBU) Zhang Mengchuan, director of the orphanage, said that 80 percent of the 40 children adopted by international families each year are from the United States. Zhang praised the coordination of the U.S. and Chinese Governments in processing adoptions. [Note: Consulate Guangzhou operates the only immigrant visa unit among the China posts, and will process approximately 7,000 adoptions in 2006. End Note] He explained the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing makes matches based on the prospective adoptive parents' requests for age and special needs, as well as according to the availability of children for adoption throughout China. An Open Discussion with Medical Students -------------- ¶7. (U) On the afternoon of December 11, 2006, the Secretary participated in a lively, forthright give-and-take conducted in English, marked with good-natured asides, with students from the Number 3 Teaching Hospital of Zhong Shan University. During the discussion, the Secretary said he was looking forward to discussing with his Chinese counterparts strategies to combat infectious diseases, deliver health care to rural patients, promote scientific cooperation, and finance medical care on a sustainable basis. Students asked questions about pandemic preparedness, protections for rights of Americans with disabilities, the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),health-insurance and the challenge of the uninsured in the United States, and the Secretary's background and own role in health policy. The Secretary emphasized HHS's role in promoting international cooperation on controlling infectious diseases through bilateral cooperation with China and multilateral efforts under the auspices of the WHO. [Comment: The questions from the students and subsequent discussions were remarkably lively and open. Students had done their homework on the Secretary's background and current policies at HHS and spoke good English with confidence. One girl, who said polio had crippled her as a child, wanted more information on the HHS Office of Disabilities and whether the U.S. Government had plans to help with the rehabilitation of the disabled in developing countries. A young man told the Secretary he "had been praying for him and praying that [he] would have a chance to ask a question." Other students did not shy away from asking the Secretary about access to medical care by the poor in the United States. End Comment.] Guangzhou No. 8 Hospital: Lessons from SARS -------------- ¶8. (SBU) During a tour of the Guangzhou Number 8 People's Hospital infectious-disease ward, Director Tang Xiaoping discussed the hospital's experiences during the SARS crisis. He pointed out improvements in the hospital since the outbreak, including ventilation fans in the halls that blow the air out of the rooms to the outside to decrease the likelihood of the infection's spreading within the facility. During the SARS crisis, Tang said the Provincial Government held regular briefings and also published daily updates in the newspaper. He described how the hospital was able to maintain sufficient staffing levels during the crisis, for example, through the use of monetary rewards. He emphasized that high morale was the key to ensuring medical workers performed their responsibilities under very stressful conditions. The Secretary also had an opportunity for a memorable exchange with one medical worker who contracted and recovered from the SARS virus. After the tour of the hospital, Secretary Leavitt and his delegation had a roundtable exchange with Dr. Tang, Vice Minister Chen and hospital staff. In a rare display of emotion, Vice Minister Chen teared up during a discussion of the courage of Chinese health-care workers during the SARS outbreak; he said his own daughter was a nurse who was the age of many of the nurses who had battled and contracted the disease in Guangzhou. ¶9. (SBU) The Number 8 Hospital's Red Ribbon AIDS research center has 40 beds, and is partially staffed by volunteers. Tang noted China has encouraged more HIV/AIDS testing recently; this naturally has led to a large increase in the reporting of new cases. Nevertheless, he said, the fatality rate among new HIV/AIDS patients is decreasing because of the use of anti-retroviral drugs. Guangdong has three levels of hospitals for infectious diseases, as well as teams of experts who can travel to other hospitals to assist staff. Visit to a Wet Market -------------- GUANGZHOU 00032406 003 OF 004 ¶10. (SBU) On December 12, 2006, the Secretary visited Dajiangyuan Wet Market. The indoor market, a favorite of Guangzhou locals, has stalls that sell fresh produce as well as live fish and chickens. The poultry workers were suitably dressed in white smocks, wore plastic gloves and covered their mouths with masks (though in most wet markets, workers do not use gloves). Signs posted on the walls of the market warned of the dangers of avian flu, and described how to identify sick poultry, cautioned against handling dead birds, and told how to report suspicious bird deaths to authorities. The signs cautioned against keeping poultry and pigs in the same area, warned against letting poultry roam free, and ordered that all poultry be vaccinated against avian flu. The delegation also noticed signs hung in a nearby neighborhood that displayed prevention messages about the dangers of HIV/AIDS sexually transmitted diseases. Meeting with Guangdong Vice Governor -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Following his visit to the market, the Secretary met with Guangdong Vice Governor Lei Yulan, who is responsible for public-health issues in the Province. In her remarks, Lei noted that Guangdong's dramatic rise in living standards has mirrored an expansion of social programs, including those that cover public health, and discussed initiatives that assist rural populations, fund research and development (R&D),build community clinics in urban areas, and train world-class physicians. Madame Lei said that since the SARS outbreak, the Provincial Government had invested over RMB 10 billion (USD 1.25 billion) to enhance its capabilities to deal with public-health emergencies such as highly pathogenic avian influenza and dengue fever. Lei said Guangdong has increased its R&D capabilities through cooperation with U.S. entities: -- A joint USD 300,000 HIV/AIDS project with HHS to monitor and assist in the early prevention of HIV, part of the Global AIDS Program activities in China under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; -- A separate joint project between Guangdong Province and the U.S. National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health at HHS and the University of California Berkeley, with an investment of USD 110,000; and -- A joint project between Guangzhou's Zhong Shan University and the University of Pennsylvania on the development of vaccines against emerging epidemics; such as novel strains of influenza and dengue fever. Guangdong CDC: SARS, Influenza, and HIV/AIDS -------------- -------------- ¶12. (SBU) During the Secretary's meeting with the Guangdong Center for Disease Control (GDCDC),Dr. Lin Jinyan, Deputy Director of GDCDC, discussed Guangdong's experience in dealing with SARS, the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, and HIV/AIDS. Guangzhou and other Pearl River Delta cities accounted for 97 percent of all SARS cases in Guangdong. Lin said Provincial officials contained SARS through a combination of early detection, rapid reporting, isolation of sick patients, along with a policy of local quarantine and rapid treatment. When asked how GDCDC would respond differently if a SARS outbreak were to occur again, Lin said GDCDC would improve case management, public education, the identification of sources of infection, and the prevention of infection among hospital staff. [Comment: Dr. Lin and Provincial officials did not acknowledge that obfuscation by Provincial and national authorities allowed the SARS virus to spread to Guangdong around the world. End Comment.] ¶13. (SBU) Guangdong has seen two human cases of H5N1 avian flu this year. The first was a salesman from a food company in Guangzhou who died on March 2, 2006 (ref B),the second was a truck driver in Shenzhen who died on August 2, 2006 (ref A). The suspected source of the first case was a wet market, but the source of the second case is still unknown. Lin described control and prevention measures against avian influenza in animals, such as surveillance, case quarantine and treatment, the timely exclusion of non-cases, and epidemiologic investigations. Ke Changwen, Director of GDCDC's Institute of Microbiology, said gene-sequencing tests have shown there have been no significant developments in the disease's human-to-human transmission capability. Ke added the GDCDC is currently conducting a project with the WHO on animal-to-human transmission. ¶14. (SBU) According to official statistics, Guangdong province has 17,855 reported HIV/AIDS cases, the fifth-highest number in China. The five largest cities of the Pearl River Delta account for over 75 GUANGZHOU 00032406 004 OF 004 percent of these cases. To combat HIV/AIDS, GDCDC continues to promote awareness through public campaigns, and provides comprehensive treatment, intervention, and care to prevent secondary infections. GDCDC also sponsors intervention programs, such as syringe exchanges and condom promotion. ¶15. (SBU) Dr. Yang Xingfen said the WHO and the Chinese Ministry of Health launched a training center for the surveillance and detection of emerging diseases in Guangdong in June 2006. The goal is to improve surveillance capacity, improve animal-husbandry techniques, research animal-to-human interaction in the transmission of highly pathogenic influenza, establish a training base for neighboring Southeast Asian countries, and provide greater information sharing with the WHO Secretariat and its partners. ¶16. (SBU) When asked about the role of GDCDC in responding to an outbreak emergency, Dr. Lin Jinyan said that after receiving local case reports the GDCDC arranges "initial diagnosis-and-exclusion" activities. The local CDC will go to the site for sampling, and begin an epidemiological study. GDCDC decides whether to include national or more advanced experts, who will coordinate control measures. Lin noted that GDCDC announced the two human cases of H5N1 influenza to the media before testing was completed, the first time this had been done and a sign of improved transparency. Press Coverage: Extensive and Positive -------------- ¶17. (SBU) Local media outlets were present at every part of the Secretary's visit (except for the AmCham event),and coverage was SIPDIS overwhelmingly positive. Newspapers made special mention of the Secretary's session with medical students, and his visit to the wet SIPDIS market. In addition, the China Daily, which has national distribution, conducted an interview with the Secretary during the visit. The article quoted the Secretary on health-care issues and U.S.-China collaboration, and mentioned the Secretary's trip in Chengdu on December 9-10, 2006. ¶18. (U) The HHS delegation has cleared this cable. GOLDBERG