MGSF01: No Thai H1N1, ASEAN Flu Summit May 7

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001102 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHB:JJONES,CPATTERSON; EAP FOR DHANNEMAN DEPT FOR USAID/GBH USDA FOR FAS AND APHIS HHS FOR CDC USCINCPACLO FOR AFRIMS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR AMGT MG, ECON, EAID, WHO, EAGR, ETRD TH SUBJECT: MGSF01: No Thai H1N1, ASEAN Flu Summit May 7 REF: A) Bangkok 1060 (B) State 44254 BANGKOK 00001102 001.2 OF 002 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: There remain no reported cases of A/H1N1 in humans or swine in Thailand. The Royal Thai Government (RTG) will host May 7-8 a ministerial summit of ASEAN health ministers, to include Japanese, Chinese and South Korean representation. Thailand has continued its cautionary advisory for travel to the U.S. and Mexico. The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) remains the RTG lead agency although its level of coordination with other ministries needs improvement. The response of Thailand's airports is robust. Swine product imports from the U.S. have been effectively banned. Embassy Bangkok held an EAC meeting but will institute no extraordinary measures at this time beyond continued communication with the Embassy community and general American public in Thailand. The RTG is sending face masks to Mexico. END SUMMARY NO H1N1 CASES -------------- ¶2. (U) As of May 1, there have been no confirmed cases of A/H1N1 influenza in Thailand. An Australian resident of Thailand, returning from Melbourne, was confirmed as having only seasonal influenza. The Minister of Public Health announced that travelers returning from Mexico, even if asymptomatic, would be put under surveillance for seven to fourteen days. If the traveler develops flu-like symptoms, health volunteers would take them to hospital. ASEAN + 3 MINISTERIAL SUMMIT MAY 7 -------------- ¶3. (U) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and MoPH confirmed May 1 the RTG would host a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) public health ministers May 7-8 in Bangkok to plan regional cooperation. MFA and MoPH contacts confirmed that they also have invited Japan, South Korea and China to the summit and asserted that most of the invited ministers had already indicated they would attend. The summit would consider how to use the 2003 SARS outbreak as a model for regional H1N1 response. At this time, there appears to be no plan to involve the USG or other governments, but MFA intends to hold a briefing for the diplomatic community after the conclusion of the summit. (Note: Army Chief General Anupong Paojinda announced that the army was prepared to provide security for the ministerial in the face of any potential political demonstrations. End Note.) ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT RESPONSE -------------- ¶4. (U) The MoPH continues its webpage-based cautionary advisory regarding travel to affected areas in the U.S. and Mexico. Thai officials have said they will cease using the term "Mexican Flu" and instead use the term A/H1N1. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) said publicly that, by May 3, it will have produced an extra million oseltamivir (Tamiflu) antiviral tablets to prepare for an outbreak, increasing Thailand's claimed supply to 4.2 million tablets, enough for 420,000 patients. The GPO imports raw materials for Oseltamivir production from China and India. ¶5. (U) Airport officials continue to thermoscan passengers at major Thai airports. An A/H1N1 flu quarantine center at Bangkok's main international airport has been stood up to process passengers with flu symptoms. Thai Airways check-in, in-flight and arrival procedures are robust; the majority state-owned airline has its own flu-specific operations center and is modeling its operations on response to the 2003 SARS outbreak. Thai Airways announced it is considering scaling back flight schedules and employing smaller aircraft as it reports reduced air travel from the U.S., South Korea, China and Japan. INTERAGENCEY COORDINATION STILL VAGUE -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Khachonprasat chaired the RTG's first interagency flu meeting on April 29. Nonetheless, MoPH contacts report that interagency taskings are still unclear, and no follow-on interagency meeting has been set. (Note: Sanan is one of several, and not the leading Deputy Prime Minister. End Note.) BANGKOK 00001102 002.2 OF 002 Calls to Ministry of Transportation contacts indicated that the Ministry has not developed a clear contingency plan yet for dealing with transportation issues that would arise if there was a severe outbreak in Bangkok. Robust airport measures appear to have been taken on the initiative of the Airport Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways (the airline is majority owned by the Ministry of Finance). If need be, we will intervene next week with appropriate RTG officials to urge better coordination. THAILAND MAINTAINS BAN ON SWINE IMPORTS -------------- ¶7. (U) On April 27, Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture's Department of Livestock Development issued an official memorandum to its port inspection offices to prohibit the importation of swine and swine carcasses from the United States, Mexico, and any country announcing an A/H1NI outbreak. Swine and swine carcasses are defined in Thai regulations as live pigs, fresh, chilled or frozen pork meat, bone, offal, skins, hides, and swine genetic materials. The ban does not/not apply to processed pork products. To date, the Department of Livestock Development has not filed the required notification of this import ban with the World Trade Organization. Per Ref A, we raised May 1 USG concerns with senior officials at the Ministries of Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture. (Septel will follow) EMBASSY BANGKOK PREPARATIONS -------------- ¶8. (U) On 1 May Embassy Bangkok held an EAC sub-committee meeting to discuss A/H1N1 status, and review tripwire and Mission preparation plans. The Mission will not at this time take any extraordinary measures to alter the workplace, but will continue disseminating relevant information to the Mission community through management notices and to the general public through Consular and Public Affairs website updates and warden messages, as appropriate. The Mission continues regular updates to international schools. THAILAND TO ASSIST ITS CITIZENS IN MEXICO WITH FACE MASKS -------------- ¶9. (U) The MFA spokesman announced that Thailand will send 5,000 face masks and hand washing gel packetss to Mexico. The Thai embassy in Mexico will distribute the masks and the gels to Thais living there. ¶10. (U) POC is ESTH officer Hal Howard, howardhh@state.gov. JOHN