TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 3 Sent

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001241 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 # 3 Sent May 4, 2009 REF: A) BEIJING 1171 B)STATE 44615 C) HONG KONG 802 D) BEIJING 1135 E)BEIJING 1132 AMERICANS IN QUARANTINE AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES -------------- -------------- ¶1. (U) As of COB on May 4 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 C). ¶2. (SBU) Post has become aware of four American citizens who are being or were recently held in quarantine. ConOffs have made contact with all of them, either directly or through family members. None currently present flu-like symptoms but two of the four continue to be observed at quarantine facilities. - A 38 year-old female has been in quarantine 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. - A 20 year-old male has been in quarantine in Beijing since afternoon of Saturday May 2. - A male of unknown age was placed into quarantine after having arrived in Guangzhou from the United States by air on May 2 and remained under observation until May 4. Quarantine officers had detected a fever upon his arrival in Guangzhou. He has been in touch with ConGen Guangzhou since his release. - A male of unknown age who made a border crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen was placed into quarantine on May 3. Although he presented no flu symptoms, border officials noted a trip to Mexico within the last seven days. The Amcit was released on May 4 and has been in contact with ConGen Guangzhou. ¶3. (SBU) Post received official notification only for one of the above cases. For the others, neither local health officials nor Foreign Affairs Offices conveyed to Post that decisions to quarantine American citizens had been made. Embassy Beijing has prepared a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for delivery on May 5, requesting formal notification of these cases and any subsequent cases that occur mission-wide. ¶4. (SBU) Post has learned that health authorities are contemplating setting up a 24-hour nation-wide phone line to respond to requests �0A;for information from the public, including from foreign embassies regarding the status of their nationals. A final decision has not yet been made. FLIGHTS FROM MEXICO AND MEXICAN PASSPORT HOLDERS -------------- - ¶5. (SBU) Post has been in contact with Mexican counterparts in Beijing and Shanghai, who report that they currently are aware of 49 Mexican nationals under quarantine in Shanghai and another 10 in Beijing. Many are long-term residents in China and reportedly have not been physically present in Mexico for several months. ¶6. (SBU) The twice weekly Aeromexico flight from Tijuana to Shanghai was cancelled effective May 2. The Mexican Consulate told ConGen Shanghai that the Mexican government has negotiated with the PRC a special flight from Mexico to China to repatriate Mexicans who have been quarantined. The flight will likely depart Mexico for Shanghai on the morning of May 4 Mexico time. Mexican and Chinese officials are negotiating whether Mexican nationals quarantined in Beijing or Guangzhou will be transported to Shanghai, or if the plane will make multiple stops. ¶7. (SBU) Beijing DHS attache learned on May 3 that all arriving passengers who have either been in Mexico in the past 14 days or are Mexican citizens appear to be facing stricter controls and are being BEIJING 00001241 002 OF 003 given the choice of undergoing quarantine for up to seven days or be deported. ¶8. (SBU) Foreign media has reported that the Mexican consular officials in Guangzhou were stopped at the Guangzhou airport, questioned, and eventually released, after having been on travel within Asia. ConGen Guangzhou has confirmed these reports. ENTRY AND BORDER INSPECTION PROCEDURES TIGHTENED -------------- --- ¶9. (SBU) Passengers arriving on international flights now must complete a quarantine form upon arrival and are having their temperatures monitored by thermo-scan. Passengers presenting flu symptoms on flights arriving from "affected" countries potentially face additional procedures, like undergoing a routine medical exam at the airport, or, in some circumstances, transportation to local hospitals and/or hotels designated for quarantine. Implementation across airports nationwide has been uneven, although becoming increasingly thorough as additional resources have been deployed. ¶10. (SBU) Post has added language to e-Country Clearance Approval notifications, advising USG TDY travelers of current screening procedures. ¶11. (U) Designated hospitals for dealing with suspected or confirmed cases are as follows: --Beijing: Ditan Hospital, You'An Hospital, and Peking Union Hospital. --Shanghai: Shanghai Public Health Center and Fudan University Affiliated Children's Hospital. --Guangzhou: Guangzhou No. 2 Hospital --Chengdu: Huaxi Hospital, People's No. 6 Hospital, and Chengdu No. 4 Hospital. --Shenyang: Shenyang Children's Hospital, Shenyang No.4 Hospital, and Shengjing Hospital ¶12. (SBU) Some local hospitals are reporting that they do not have a sufficient supply of Tamiflu on hand. ¶13. (SBU) Shenyang Pol/Econoff learned from local contacts that Land Port officials in Dandong, Heilongjiang Province, determined that a Canadian passenger arriving on a bus from North Korea had a high temperature. The Canadian and all passengers were taken to the Dandong Infectious Disease Hospital for medical exams on May 2. All were eventually released the next day. GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE -------------- ¶14. (SBU) H1N1 test kits and virus isolates are set to arrive in China from U.S. CDC on afternoon of May 6 Beijing Time. ¶15. (SBU) The Health Counselor at the Canadian Embassy reported that Canadian health officials are also in the process of preparing H1N1 samples to share with Chinese authorities (ETA unknown). ¶16. (SBU) HHS Attache in Beijing received a request from Ministry of Health (MOH) contacts for a copy of the United States' Pandemic Preparedness Flu Plan, specifically any information on the delegation of roles and responsibilities among U.S. Government agencies. Post provided the U.S. National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza to MOH on May 4. ¶17. (SBU) Separately, China CDC requested information on whether BEIJING 00001241 003 OF 003 U.S. authorities had closed or were intending to close U.S. borders. Post provided the transcript from the "President's Remarks on H1N1" from April 30, which addressed this question. ¶18. (U) ConGen Guangzhou, where all immigrant visas for children adopted from China by Americans, reports that the China Central Authority on Adoptions (CCAA) is now recommending that adopting parents delay their travel to China. However, CCAA continues to match children with adoptive parents and provincial authorities continue to process adoptions. PICCUTA