HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON SHENZHEN AI CASE

UNCLAS HONG KONG 002469

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/ANP AND INR/EAP
STATE FOR EAP/EX, EAP/EP TWANG, EAP/CM KBENNETT, GWARD
STATE FOR G/AIAG JLANGE, HFOSTER, RFENDRICK
STATE FOR M/MED ADN M/MEDEX PETER WOOD
HHS FOR OGHA -- STEIGER, ELVANDER, BHAT
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC
USDA FOR DU/US LAMBERT
BEIJING FOR DSELIGSOHN, CSHAPIRO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMED ECON KSTH TBIO KFLU EAGR HK CH
SUBJECT: HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON SHENZHEN AI CASE

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) Summary: Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection
(CHP) Senior Medical and Health Officer Dr. Edwin Tsui told
Econoff on June 14 that a truck driver traveling through
Shenzhen had tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza (AI).
Tsui said that hospital authorities had yet to determine if

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the patient had recent, significant contact with poultry.
The CHP has sent an expert team to Shenzhen to investigate.
Deputy Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Eddy Chan said
that the Hong Kong Government would "probably" stop the
import of live poultry from Guangdong Province once it
receives official confirmation of the H5N1 case from the
mainland Ministry of Health. End Summary.

Shenzhen AI Case
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2. (SBU) CHP Senior Medical and Health Officer Dr. Edwin
Tsui told Econoff on June 14 that polymerase-chain-reaction

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(PCR) tests had confirmed the presence of H5N1 in a truck
driver who was hospitalized on June 3 when he was traveling
through Shenzhen. So far, Shenzhen medical authorities have
been unable to communicate with the patient to come up with
a definite contact history. All of the epidemiological
evidence gathered on the case to this point has originated
from the patient's wife. According to her, the patient's
only definite contact with poultry was when he shared a
chicken dish at a family meal that was prepared from a live
chicken that she had bought at a wet market two weeks before
his hospitalization. Tsui said that a preliminary look at
the patient's work profile does not indicate any regular
contact with live poultry. Deputy Secretary for Health,
Welfare and Food Eddy Chan later indicated, however, that
the patient was evidently a frequent visitor to wet markets
to meet his daily shopping needs.


3. (SBU) Tsui said that the HKG was sending a team of
epidemiological experts, including himself, to Shenzhen to
directly investigate the situation there. The CHP has
activated its enhanced pneumonia surveillance system, under
which all Hong Kong hospitals must report any cases of
pneumonia-like illnesses involving patients with recent
travel outside of Hong Kong. The case information is then
sent through the CHP's web-based "E-Flu" system, which also
provides the CHP with a quick and efficient way to
categorize and analyze the disease data received.

Probable Ban on Live Poultry from Guangdong
--------------


4. (SBU) Eddie Chan said that as soon as the patient is
officially confirmed as an H5N1 case by the mainland
Ministry of Health, the HKG would "probably" ban imports of
live poultry from Guangdong Province. Chan said that the
patient's supposed frequent visits to wet markets constitute
prima facie evidence that there is a poultry link for this
case, thus forcing the HKG to "play it safe" with live
poultry imports. Chan continued that Shenzhen health
authorities are investigating wet markets and also keeping a
close watch on other truck drivers, even though the patient
is not a resident of Shenzhen.


5. This cable has been cleared by U.S. Consulate General
Guangzhou.

CUNNINGHAM