TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 8 -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001264

HHS FOR OGHA
CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID, AND PASS TO FLU COX AND MOUNTS AND
COGH BLOUNT AND KELLEY

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, EAGR, HHS, TF, CH
SUBJECT: TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 8 -
FIRST CONFIRMED CASE

REF: A) BEIJING 1245 B) BEIJING 1224 C) BEIJING 1210
D) BEIJING 1191 E) HONG KONG 802


FIRST CONFIRMED H1N1 CASE ON MAINLAND CHINA REPORTED
-------------- --------------


1. (SBU) On May 11, China's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported the
first confirmed case of H1N1 on Mainland China. (NOTE: One
confirmed case had previously been reported in Hong Kong on May
1(REF E) END NOTE). The 30 year-old male, a Chinese national, is a
graduate student in St. Louis. He arrived on a Northwest Airlines
flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo on May 8, transiting Tokyo onto
NW029 and arriving in Beijing on May 8. From Beijing he flew onward
to Chengdu on May 9. He is currently being isolated and treated at
Chengdu Infectious Disease Hospital. Sichuan FAO reported to ConGen
Chengdu on May 11 that all passengers on the flight from Beijing to
Chengdu on May 9 were Chinese nationals (no foreigners).


2. (SBU) On May 10th, Sichuan CDC twice carried out confirmation
tests and both tests showed "probable" H1N1. MOH dispatched an
epidemiology team to Chengdu to bring samples back to Beijing, which
China CDC's National Influenza Laboratory and the Chinese Military
Academy of Military Science tested on May 11 and confirmed as H1N1
positive. Although H1N1 test kits have not yet arrived from U.S.
CDC, China CDC used RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymer chain
reaction) to sequence a 500 base pair segment of the viral genome
and compared it to published sequences from North American isolates;
they were identical, with 100 percent homology with a throat swab
from the suspected case. The same comparison with the current
vaccine strain influenza A virus, a viral isolate from Brisbane,
showed only 74.9 percent homology.

STATUS OF QUARANTINE CASES
--------------


3. (SBU) Nearly 50 American citizens are reported to be in
quarantine throughout China. Most of these cases are connected to
NW029, the same flight on which the now confirmed case of H1N1 in
Chengdu arrived from Tokyo. Another group quarantined in Shanghai
shared the same flight as three confirmed H1N1-infected Japanese
passengers on NW025 arriving into Tokyo from Detroit on May 8.

-- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) notified Embassy Beijing on
May 11 that 68 American citizens, who were passengers on the May 8,
NW029 flight from Tokyo to Beijing taken by the confirmed H1N1 case
now in Chengdu, have been identified as needing to be quarantined in
Beijing at the Guoman Hotel. The hotel reports they now have about
40 of the 68 AmCits under observation, and Chinese authorities were
still attempting to locate the rest as of COB May 11. Beijing ACS
has so far established direct contact with 18 of the quarantined
AmCits.

-- On May 11, Yunnan FAO notified ConGen Chengdu that an American
citizen, who had arrived in Beijing on flight NW029 on May 8 with
the now confirmed case of H1N1, had then taken China Southern flight
3901 (CZ3901)from Beijing to Kunming on May 10. Yunnan FAO has
requested ConGen Chengdu's assistance in placing the AmCit under
medical observation. Chengdu ACS has been in contact with the AmCit,
who is requesting home surveillance.

-- ConGen Shanghai ACS is currently monitoring the recent quarantine
of four AmCits who arrived in Shanghai on May 9. These AmCits are
being quarantined for possible exposure inflight to three confirmed
H1N1-infected Japanese passengers on board NW025, which arrived at
Tokyo-Narita Airport on May 8. All four are in quarantine at the
Jin Jiang Star Hotel in Pudong. Shanghai ACS has spoken to all four
individuals.

-- Guangzhou ACS reports that four American citizen were or are
still under quarantine. Two of them traveled to Beijing on the same

BEIJING 00001264 002 OF 002


May 8 NW029 flight arriving in Beijing from Narita as the confirmed
H1N1 case now in Chengdu. One American man was quarantined for two
days in Zhuhai due to a slight fever detected when going through
border controls from Macau to Zhuhai on May 10. In a town near
Fuzhou, a 5-month old American-born baby, who had flown from New
York to Hong Kong and then to Fuzhou on May 3, was quarantined for
three days, from May 7 to May 9.

-- All but one of the five quarantine cases reported in (REF A) on
May 8 have now been released. Each was under observation for 1-3
days before being released over the weekend. A sixth case, that of a
26 year-old female arriving from Hawaii via Japan on May 8 was put
into quarantine at Ditan Hospital on May 8. She was released on May

9. One 38-year old male who was placed into quarantine on May 5 (REF
A) remains in quarantine. On the morning of May 11, he informed
Beijing ACS that he was to be released later in the day.


4. (SBU) In the course of making routine inquiries about the status
of American citizens in quarantine on May 8, Ditan Hospital
officials informed Beijing ACS that they would no longer provide
information directly to the Embassy. All future inquiries must now
be directed to the Beijing FAO.


NEW SCREENING PROCEDURES IN PLACE NATIONWIDE
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) Airport contacts report screening procedures have now been
tightened. Previously, passengers were required to complete a
quarantine form and have their temperatures monitored by thermo-scan
after disembarking from the aircraft (REFS C and D). In the new
screening process, health officials will perform temperature
readings of each passenger onboard. Passengers will be released for
disembarkation only if no one is found with elevated temperatures
onboard. If one or more passengers are found to have elevated
temperatures, authorities will conduct further evaluation and
possible quarantine.


PICCUTA