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