Avian Influenza Cases in Jiangsu - Latest Update

UNCLAS BEIJING 007567 SIPDIS BANGKOK FOR REO, CDC, AND USAID HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, HICKEY DINT FOR USGS RKENNY CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID AND COGH SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAGR CASC CH SUBJECT: Avian Influenza Cases in Jiangsu - Latest Update Ref: A) Beijing 07401, B) Guangzhou 1279 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Following the death of a twenty-four year old male from Avian Influenza (AI) in Jiangsu Province on December 2, the young man's 52 year old father developed symptoms and was confirmed positive for Influenza A H5N1 virus on December 6. The father had extensive close contact with his son while he was ill in the hospital, and all available evidence suggests that he was infected by his son. The 52-year-old man has reportedly since recovered, and none of the other people under medical observation have developed symptoms. Health Minister Chen Zhu reportedly supervised the treatment of the father personally. U.S. CDC Health experts based in Beijing believe that the second case of infection was likely a case of limited human-to-human transmission, but there is still no evidence that the virus can be efficiently transmitted from one human to another. End Summary. Background -------------- ¶2. (SBU) As reported in Ref A, on November 24, 2007 a 24-year-old male resident of Nanjing developed fever, chills and other symptoms. He was hospitalized on November 27 with pneumonia and was reportedly interviewed by the local public health authorities for the first time on that day. His conditioned worsened and he died on December 2. ¶3. (SBU) Also on December 2, a clinical sample taken from the man a few days earlier was confirmed positive for Influenza A H5N1. The local, provincial and national health authorities instituted an investigation and control measures were taken. Sixty-nine people were identified as having had close contact with the man while he was ill and were subsequently placed under strict medical observation. ¶4. (SBU) On December 3, one of the people under medical observation - the young man's 52-year-old father - developed fever and respiratory symptoms and was placed in isolation in hospital. A clinical specimen from the father was confirmed positive for Influenza A H5N1 virus on December 6. During the December 2008 Strategic Economic Dialogue, Health Minister Chen Zhu told Ambassador Randt that when he heard about the father's case he was in Xi'an but he immediately traveled to Nanjing, Jiangsu to personally supervise the father's care. ¶5. (SBU) The 52-year-old man has reportedly recovered. None of the other people under medical observation have developed signs or symptoms consistent with acute influenza infection and medical observation of them has been discontinued. No other suspect cases have been identified and the lead national level investigator has returned to Beijing. ¶6. (SBU) Further laboratory analyses of the two viruses demonstrated that the viruses are identical and are similar to Influenza A H5N1 viruses isolated in southern China in 2005 and 2006. The sequences of the two viruses have been entered into the public database for influenza sequences. In addition, the China National Virology Institute has agreed to send the actual virus samples to the US CDC influenza laboratory in its role as WHO Global Influenza Laboratory. ¶7. (SBU) As of now, no source of exposure has been identified for the first case, the 24-year-old man. The Ministry of Agriculture reportedly conducted a separate investigation but no bird die-off or unusual numbers of ill poultry were identified. ¶8. (SBU) The second case, the 24-year-old man's father, had extensive close contact with his son while he was ill in the hospital. While it cannot be proved, all the available details indicate that the infection passed from the son to the father. According to U.S. Center for Disease Control experts based in Beijing, this probable case of limited human-to-human transmission does not constitute an emergency. They believe that there is, as yet, no evidence that the virus can be efficiently transmitted from one human to another, resulting in sustained transmission. RANDT