AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 13

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 002017 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK DEPT FOR EAP/J USDA PASS TO APHIS HHS PASS TO CDC HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO JA SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 13 REF: A. 05 STATE 153802 ¶B. TOKYO 1843 AND PREVIOUS ¶C. 05 TOKYO 6267 ¶D. 05 TOKYO 6750 TOKYO 00002017 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. The following is an update on avian influenza (AI) developments in Japan for the period April 6 to 13. No human or animal outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza were reported in Japan during the past week. -- H5N1 to be designated a "Government-Decreed" Infectious Disease -- ¶2. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) plans to designate the H5N1 highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza as a "government-decreed" infectious disease. The Infectious Diseases Panel of MHLW's Health Sciences Council will hold a meeting on April 14, which EST will attend. Japan's Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Action Plan, which was released in November 2005, stipulates that in accordance with the Law concerning the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Medical Care for Patients of Infections, the government should designate new pandemic influenza strains as a "government-decreed infection" immediately after an outbreak is diagnosed in Japan or abroad (see ref C for more). However, because it normally takes several weeks to complete the procedures to make such a designation, officials are concerned that the bureaucratic procedure will delay any emergency response. Highly pathogenic avian influenza is currently categorized as a category D disease, which does not require the quarantine of a patient. By designating H5N1 as a government-decreed infectious disease, officials will be able to require that patients be hospitalized. (For more details on the infectious diseases law, refer to ref D). -- Kyoto City/Prefecture Establish AI Expert's Group -- ¶3. The Kyoto City and Prefectural governments established a joint experts' committee to work on local level responses to emerging infectious diseases with high mortality rates such as avian influenza. The group held its first meeting on April 12, during which it considered a variety of response activities including the establishment of a response manual to cover such topics as the method of distributing prophylactic medicines in preparation for an outbreak. The twelve members of the committee include avian influenza experts from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and Kyoto Sangyo University as well as physicians and attorneys. During the meeting, members explained the prefecture and city's action plans and the central government's response guidelines. They also discussed the possibility that migratory birds would bring avian influenza to Japan this fall, as they return from affected areas. The experts said that it was critical for local officials to make a decision on which hospitals would be designated to respond to an AI outbreak, so that treatment for other diseases and medical emergencies would not be negatively impacted. In addition, they talked about the need for the public to be better educated about the disease. The group appointed ten medical and government experts to create a manual on medical treatment such as the distribution of Tamiflu and details on patient transportation. (Note: Kyoto Prefecture is fairly proactive in its avian influenza related preparations most likely due to the fact that it experienced an H5N1 outbreak in poultry in early 2004, during which five individuals tested positive for H5N1 antibodies, but did not become ill.) -- Imports of Eggs Skyrocket: Avian Flu to Blame -- ¶4. On April 9, the Sankei Shinbun Newspaper reported that Japan's import of fresh eggs has skyrocketed over the past few years because of avian influenza concerns. This has led in turn to what the newspaper called the "destruction of the domestic production myth." In 2005, Japan imported TOKYO 00002017 002.2 OF 003 eleven times more eggs than it did the previous year. Currently, Japan imports about eight percent of its eggs. After outbreaks of avian influenza were reported, consumption dropped and domestic companies decreased their production in response. When demand increased again, the producers were unable to meet the new demand. ¶5. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF),imports of fresh eggs have increased by about 1,000 to 2,000 tons per year over the past decade. In 2005, when an exponential jump occurred, import levels totaled 13,748 tons, compared to only 1,233 tons in 2004. The primary exporting countries were the United States, the Netherlands and Brazil. The wholesale price for one kilogram of fresh eggs has been stable in Japan since World War II, hovering around 100 to 200 yen. However, after the 2004 avian influenza outbreak in Yamaguchi Prefecture, when concern about the safety of chicken meat and eggs increased, demand fell and so did prices. As a result, producers lowered their production to help stabilize the prices. Consumption then increased and prices skyrocketed. Because it takes nearly a half-year to restart egg production, many processors switched to imports to keep up with the demand. Imports have continued to keep the supply stable, resulting in the annual increase of foreign produced eggs in Japan. -- Last Remaining Prefecture Releases its Pandemic Plan -- ¶6. Hyogo - the last remaining prefecture to do so - released its pandemic influenza preparedness action plan on April 10. (Note: Kobe City is located in Hyogo Prefecture). The plan enables the Hyogo government to "strongly request" that a suspected individual who is likely infected with pandemic influenza be hospitalized. The plan assumes there has been human-to-human transmission of avian influenza overseas. If a potentially infected individual is detected through symptoms and quick tests, the Hyogo government can require the patient to be hospitalized for 24 hours for further testing. During that time period, the government will ask the patient's family to stay at home to minimize the potential spread of the virus at its early stages of infection. Officials will also request that the central government provide it with a list of individuals who traveled overseas to affected areas in order to be able to ask the returnees to be tested as well. By submitting this plan, all Japanese prefectural governments now have their own preparedness plans in place. -- Hundreds of Birds Die Mysteriously Across Japan -- ¶7. Several cases of large amounts of wild birds dying have been recently reported across Japan. On April 7, the Oita Prefectural Government announced that 89 dead crows were found in three pine forests in the prefecture between March 28-31. The government conducted tests to see if the dead birds were infected with the avian influenza virus or Newcastle disease, but they came back negative for both. As a result, officials conducted additional tests where they fed the gastric contents of the dead crows to mice, all of which died shortly thereafter. The government suspects that some kind of poisonous substance was the cause of the deaths. ¶8. In Hokkaido, 600 dead sparrows have been found since the end of last year in a residential area of Asahikawa City. Professor Mitsuhiko Asakawa, from the Rakuno Gakuen University, investigated the sparrow deaths, and concluded that parasites, toxic substances, or starvation were not the cause. He will conduct further investigations to see if the cause may have been related to some kind of microorganism. Avian influenza was not detected in the dead sparrows. ¶9. In Tokyo, 43 dead domesticated pigeons were found in two parks during April 8-9. The distance between the two parks is about 13 km. Tokyo's animal health center is TOKYO 00002017 003.2 OF 003 currently investigating the cause of the deaths. Because the pigeons tested negative for the avian influenza virus, the center suspects that the birds died from a toxic substance or were killed by humans. SCHIEFFER