MGSF01: GREECE CONFIRMS FIRST CASE OF H1N1

UNCLAS ATHENS 000835 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC CASC KFLO KFLU AEMR TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR AMGT, GR SUBJECT: MGSF01: GREECE CONFIRMS FIRST CASE OF H1N1 REF: ATHENS 691 PASS TO USDA/FAS/OSTA PASS TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PASS TO CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL ¶1. (SBU) Contacts at the Hellenic National Health Operations Center (EKEPY) told EconOff on May 19 that Greece has confirmed its first case of H1N1 in a Greek who returned to Athens to New York on Olympic Airlines flight #412 on Saturday, May 16. EKEPY confirmed that the individual is studying in New York and did not travel to Mexico. The patient showed mild clinical symptoms of the flu and is presently hospitalized and under observation at Sismanoglio hospital in Kifissia. The student and his family are all taking courses of TamiFlu. ¶2. (SBU) The Pasteur Institute, designated as the reference laboratory for the southern region of Greece, confirmed that the patient's strain of flu is the H1N1 virus. The Pasteur Institute had received a kit from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on May 5 with the information required to determine the sequencing of the virus to match up suspected cases. ¶3. (SBU) The Greek authorities are focusing their investigation on a localized portion of the airplane, which includes the patient's row, two rows in the front and two in the back for a total of 40 passengers. EKEPY said they are contacting these passengers to determine their exposure and plan to take all precautionary measures to contain the spread of the H1N1 virus. ¶4. (SBU) Local press reports that Greek Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos announced the confirmed case while attending the World Health Organization's World Health Assembly in Geneva. He assured his audience that all precautionary measures were being taken in accordance with international and European regulations. SPECKHARD