TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 4

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001197 HHS FOR OGHA SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR AMGT, MG, EAGR, HHS, CH SUBJECT: TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 4 -MEXICAN CHARTER FLIGHT LANDS REF: A) BEIJING 1191 B) BEIJING 1171 C) STATE 44615 D) HONG KONG 802 E) STATE 44254 AMERICANS IN QUARANTINE AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES -------------- -------------- ¶1. (U) As of COB on May 5 Beijing Time, there are no confirmed cases of infection of humans or livestock by the A/H1N1 influenza virus on Mainland China. One case was confirmed in Hong Kong on May 1 (REF D). ¶2. (SBU) Two American citizens remain under quarantine. Two others who had crossed over the border from Hong Kong over the weekend and held for observation in Guangzhou and Shenzhen were both released on May 4 (REF A). --A 38 year-old female has been in quarantine in a local hospital in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province (5 hour drive southwest of Shanghai) since early morning hours of Friday May 1. Zhejiang Provincial Foreign Affairs Office notified ConGen Shanghai of her whereabouts on the morning of May 2. She has remained in contact with ConGen Shanghai and reports that she is set to be released on May 6. --A 20 year-old male has been in quarantine in Beijing at Ditan Hospital since afternoon of Saturday May 2. He has remained in contact with Embassy Beijing. ¶3. (SBU) Consular notification of American citizens being transferred into quarantine remains uneven. On May 5, Embassy Beijing sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting that a formal notification process be put into place China-wide. ¶4. (SBU) Separately, the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) on May 4 agreed in principle to notify the Embassy of quarantine cases occurring within Beijing. However, the status report provided by the Beijing FAO on May 4 did not include information about the Amcit already known to be in quarantine in Beijing, so Post continues to use alternative means of gathering information. ¶5. (SBU) Guangdong Provincial FAO and Zhejiang Provincial FAO did, however, notify ConGen Guangzhou and ConGen Shanghai of American citizens in quarantine within those consular districts. ¶6. (U) The Shanghai Municipal Government's Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) announced in a press conference on May 5 that official notification of quarantine/retention of a passenger will be made by the Shanghai FAO to the relevant Consulate. Consulates may now request consular access to any quarantined/retained individuals, and the Shanghai FAO will facilitate that access. ¶7. (SBU) Posts mission-wide sent out Management Notices to staff on May 5, describing current entry and quarantine procedures mandated by the Chinese Government. The same information also was added to E-Country Clearance approval messages intended for USG temporary duty travelers to China. A warden message to the American community will be cleared overnight for issuance on May 6. CHINA AND MEXICO TRADE CHARTER FLIGHTS -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Mexican Embassy in Beijing confirmed that the Aeromexico flight chartered by the Mexican government to ferry Mexican nationals under quarantine in China and Hong Kong arrived in Shanghai at 2:00 PM local time on May 5. The plane was then to fly to Beijing later the same afternoon and then onward to Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Approximately 80 Mexican nationals previously under quarantine chose to use this flight to return to Mexico. Some quarantined nationals who reside long-term in China elected to wait out the quarantine period in designated facilities. A new crew joined the aircraft in Shanghai for the legs within China/Hong Kong BEIJING 00001197 002 OF 002 and back to Mexico. All will stay on board through each stop to avoid local quarantine procedures. ¶9. (U) The one confirmed case of infection by the A/H1N1 influenza virus in Hong Kong, who is a Mexican national, will remain in quarantine in Hong Kong. ¶10. (U) According to China Daily, a charter flight operated by China Southern Airlines left Guangzhou for Mexico City on Monday May 4 to pick up the estimated 200 Chinese nationals left there as a result of the outbreak. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Shanghai at 9:00 AM on Wednesday May 6 Beijing time. GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE -------------- ¶11. (SBU) H1N1 test kits and virus isolates are now set to arrive in China from U.S. CDC on afternoon of May 7 Beijing Time. ¶12. (U) The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced on May 4 that it had deployed six additional field epidemiology teams to Shandong, Hebei, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, and Shaanxi Provinces to coordinate with local authorities. AQSIQ reportedly had previously sent five such teams to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in late April, at the onset of the outbreak. ¶13. (SBU) ConGen Guangzhou is coordinating with State/CA on whether to alert adopting parents to China's Central Adoptions Authority (CCAA) public notice (REF A) recommending that AmCit parents consider delaying their trip to China. Thus far, ConGen Guangzhou has received only one inquiry about the CCAA notice. CHINA AGRICULTURE MINISTER: PORK IS SAFE AND EDIBLE -------------- -------------- ¶14. (SBU) With the AQSIQ-imposed ban on imports of U.S. pork and pork products still in place, Minister of Agriculture SUN Zhengcai--in an apparent departure from AQSIQ's position--is now (as reported by China Daily on May 4) stressing to the public that eating pork is still safe, and that the H1N1 virus cannot be transmitted through consuming pork. ¶15. (SBU) Agricultural Minister Counselor and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) China Director met with AQSIQ Vice Minister WEI Chuanzhong on May 5 to deliver points in REF E, urging AQSIQ to remove trade bans on pork due to H1N1 concerns. Results of the meeting will be reported SEPTEL. ¶16. (U) The official website of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang reported on May 5 that the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute (HVRI) had received test kits from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, which are able to identify the H1N1 virus in livestock within four to five hours. (NOTE: The National Animal Influenza Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture is located within the HVRI. END NOTE) The website noted that this quick detection capability may alleviate public concern over safety of pork products. The Ministry of Agriculture reportedly plans to ship 30,000 such virus detection kits throughout China. PICCUTA