BEIJING CONFIRMS THIRD AVIAN INFLUENZA FATALITY IN 2008

UNCLAS BEIJING 000688 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS BANGKOK FOR REO AND CDC HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, HICKEY CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID AND COGH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAGR CH SUBJECT: BEIJING CONFIRMS THIRD AVIAN INFLUENZA FATALITY IN 2008 REF A) GUANGZHOU 119, B) BEIJING 657, C) 07 BEIJING 585 ¶1. (SBU) The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed on February 26 to Embassy Beijing the third avian influenza death in China in 2008. As reported in REF A, the Government of China had previously notified Embassy Beijing and Consulate Guangzhou of the suspected AI case, a 44-year-old female migrant worker that fell ill on February 16 after exposure to sick and dead poultry. On February 25, one day after MOH's initial notification, the woman died. MOH reported that the laboratories at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that samples taken from the victim had tested positive for the avian influenza virus (A/H5N1). MOH also reported that eighty three persons that had prior close contact with the victim have been placed under medical observation. None of the persons have exhibited any symptoms of the disease. MOH's notification did not have any information on whether poultry in the area had been culled. RANDT