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

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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

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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.)

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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