AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT FEBRUARY 23

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000958

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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

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO JA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT FEBRUARY 23

REF: A. 05 STATE 153802

B. TOKYO 850 AND PREVIOUS

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1. (U) No human or animal outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza
(AI) were reported in Japan during the past week.

-- Dead Bird Calls, Tabletops and More Money: Local
Preparations Continue Throughout Japan --


2. (U) On February 15, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
(TMG) established a call-in desk to gather information on
the deaths of wild birds from citizens. Tokyo's
Environment Bureau said information collection efforts
would particularly focus on cases where there are multiple
deaths or repeated bird deaths in one area. After
receiving a call from a citizen, the government plans to
conduct tests on any suspicious cases to identify the cause
of death or infection. This is a preventative measure the
TMG is taking as part of its overall preparedness planning,
as no outbreak of avian influenza has been confirmed in the
metropolitan area to date. The desk will be open from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through mid April, which is the season
when migratory birds fly back to Siberia.


3. (U) On February 17, Nagasaki Prefecture authorities
conducted a tabletop exercise to review the steps they
would take using their preparedness plan from the moment an
avian influenza infection was confirmed through the end of
the outbreak. Around 200 officials from local governments,
the Nagasaki Veterinary Medical Association and the
Nagasaki Livestock Industry Association participated. The
exercise assumed that avian influenza infection was
confirmed at a poultry farm that had 16,800 chickens. The
participants confirmed their respective roles in the
overall response, including in the areas of establishing a
task force, testing for viruses, placing restrictions on
the transfer of eggs, sterilizing infected poultry houses,
and culling the infected chickens.


4. (U) Yamanashi Prefecture released its draft JFY2005
supplementary budget request that includes Yen 2.8 million
(USD 24,348) for measures to prevent avian flu from
spreading. The request will be submitted to the
prefectural assembly for approval shortly.

-- The Hatchet to Fall on Unlucky Ibaraki Birds: Tokyo
Encouraging Reporting by Sharing Costs of Culling --


5. (U) The Ibaraki Prefectural Government began culling an
additional 2.5 million chickens at eight farms in the
prefecture on February 20. The chickens had been under
government surveillance because antibodies showing past
infection with the avian influenza virus were detected
earlier in birds living at the farms. The government had
lifted restrictions on the farms because tests for the H5
virus in the indicator birds ultimately came back negative,
but because the chickens became unsellable due to consumer
fears, the government will share the costs for culling the
birds with the central government. Ibaraki plans to finish
culling the chickens by mid April.

-- More on Tokyo "AI Network" --


6. (U) On February 16, ESToff and EST FSN met with Kazuhiro
Takahashi of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's (TMG)
Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health to learn more
about Tokyo's "AI network" that was first reported in Tokyo

729. The TMG established an Infectious Diseases
Information Network with its "Asian Network of Major Cities
21" (ANMC21) city partners. ANMC 21 was formed in 2000 to
share information and expand cooperation between the ten
cities on a variety of social issues, public health being
one of them. The TMG is currently acting as the
secretariat for the Network.

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7. (U) Takahashi explained that the "AI network" is in fact
one part of the overall Infectious Diseases Information

TOKYO 00000958 002.2 OF 002


Network that will cover a full range of emerging and
reemerging infectious diseases such as SARS and HPAI. It
is a work in progress and will eventually become a vehicle
for exchanging information on AI outbreaks between the ten
cities. The Network will employ an Internet discussion
board to facilitate information exchange between the
various city governments. Participants plan to upload
their action plans, and in emergency situations,
information will be distributed to the members by e-mail.


8. (U) The Network's website further describes its mission:
"The Infectious Diseases Information Network System will
directly link government agencies, research and medical
institutions located in each member city of the ANMC 21
with each other via a specific Web site on the Internet.
Information about infectious diseases including specific
cases, infection routes and medical treatments will be
shared. At present, information concerning any foreign
outbreak of an emerging infectious disease, such as SARS,
is conveyed via national governments or the World Health
Organization (WHO). However, several problems are
associated with obtaining information via this method.
Delays in the transmission of information, the one-way flow
of information and the non-uniformity of such information
are issues of concern."


9. (U) Takahashi explained that the Network will allow
local officials to freely exchange information without the
"interruption" of national governments. In Tokyo,
officials from public health facilities, research
institutes and medical institutions will be able to access
the network, but central government authorities such as are
the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor (MHLW) and
National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) will most
likely not be invited to participate. Takahashi also said
that only organizations and groups within the Tokyo
Metropolitan area would be allowed to participate.


10. (U) In addition to Tokyo, the other members of the
Network include: Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Taipei, Jakarta,
Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Rangoon. Beijing was
originally a member of the Network, but had withdrawn from
it completely in late August 2005, the day before a meeting
was held to establish the project. Tokyo does not have any
plans to expand the member cities involved in the Network
at this time, but Takahashi admitted that the TMG would
consider any requests for participation from others if
approached.


11. (U) When asked if the Network would cooperate with
other existing mechanisms or networks on infectious
diseases in the future, Takahashi said the group was not
considering doing so at this time, because such a project
would be more suited to the national government rather than
municipalities.


12. (SBU) Comment: Assuming that the Network takes off and
grows into what the participants hope it will become, it
may become a useful source of preliminary information on
avian influenza outbreaks and local government efforts in
the ten member cities. Based on the conversation with
Takahashi, it is clear that at this point in time, the
Network is still in its infancy, and only time will tell if
officials in the member cities will use it to its fullest
potential. The possibility for synergies with current USG
efforts in the region may be somewhat limited at this
stage, but depending on the level of participation from the
various cities such as Rangoon, the Network may offer
potential insights into the AI situation in Burma and other
places that may not be reported otherwise. End comment.


13. (U) Further details on ANMC21 can be found by clicking
on the link below.

http://www.chijihon.metro.tokyo.jp/asianet/in dexe.htm

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