AVIAN INFLUENZA: TOKYO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 9

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000729 SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES/IHA POWELL, 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: TOKYO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 9 REF: A. 05 STATE 153802 ¶B. TOKYO 594 AND PREVIOUS TOKYO 00000729 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. No human outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza (AI) were reported in Japan during the past week. -- H5N2 Infection not from Wild Birds... -- ¶2. (U) Ibaraki Prefectural Authorities announced on February 6 that all of the tests it conducted on 354 wild birds since October of last year came back negative for avian influenza. The Prefecture was investigating the route of infection that led to the ultimate culling of 3.3 million birds at Ibaraki farms. Officials caught the wild birds in twenty towns and cities across Ibaraki, most of which included crows, starlings and sparrows. The 20 sites were selected because they either had a history of outbreaks or farms with more than 50,000 domesticated birds. -- Tokyo Forms AI Network with 10 Asian Cities -- ¶3. Tokyo City's Health and Welfare Bureau established an Infectious Diseases Information Network with its "Asia Network 21" partner cities to share information on avian and pandemic influenza via the Internet. The Network will allow the municipal partners to quickly share detailed medical records and information on outbreaks as well as allow the exchange of information on early countermeasures and surveillance capacity. In addition to Tokyo, the other cities in the Network include Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Taipei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Rangoon. The Network will post detailed information on symptoms and routes of infection, and upload information on treatment procedures. It will also allow participants to share know-how and exchange opinions similar to a user group. Access to the website will be limited to government officials, researchers and medical personnel in the ten cities in order to ensure the credibility of the information being shared. -- Ibaraki Lifts all Remaining Quarantines -- ¶4. On February 3, Ibaraki officials announced the lifting of all remaining 5-kilometer circular quarantines that were imposed after antibodies to H5N2 avian influenza were detected at poultry farms in the prefecture. Officials had imposed a total of 12 quarantines since last June, effecting 119 poultry farms that included 7.9 million birds. The local government has confirmed infections at 40 farms to date, leading to the culling of a total 3.3 million birds. Officials are still unsure of the route of infection. -- Early Detection System for H5N2? -- ¶5. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has begun work on developing a system to detect H5N2, the less pathogenic strain of avian influenza. Several outbreaks of H5N2 have occurred in birds in Ibaraki Prefecture since June of last year, and officials remain concerned about the continued spread of the virus. MAFF will undertake a two-year study to see how the virus grows inside chickens in order to improve earlier detection of the disease. The National Institute of Animal Health, Hokkaido University and Tottori University will partner in the research. The study will exam the virus's rate of multiplication in a chicken's body and the amount of virus that is shed by the birds. -- Seasonal Flu Cases on the Rise across Japan -- ¶6. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases weekly surveillance of seasonal influenza showed that flu infections are spreading across Japan. Forty-four prefectures out of 47 were considered to be at an alert level. Five thousand medical institutions across the country send in weekly reports to the Institute. The TOKYO 00000729 002.2 OF 002 average number of patients infected by influenza was 32.4 between January 23 and 29, compared to only 26.2 the previous week. The alert level is breached when more than 30 patients are sick per medical institution. SCHIEFFER