TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 15

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001362 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 # 15 REF: A) BEIJING 1352 B) BEIJING 1335 C) BEIJING 1317 D) BEIJING 1298 E) BEIJING 1283 F) BEIJING 1274 G) BEIJING 1264 H1N1 CASES AND STATUS OF AMCIT QUARANTINE CASES -------------- -------------- ¶1. (U) China's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on May 20 that the suspected case in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) was not/not influenza A (H1N1),but was seasonal influenza H3. As of May 20, there are four confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) on Mainland China (REF A, B, E and G). Hong Kong also has three confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1). ¶2. (SBU) As of May 20, four American citizens are reported to be in quarantine throughout China. MOH declared the suspected case in the TAR to be not/not A (H1N1),and asked the local health authorities to release the rest of the group in Zhangmu from quarantine, including the six AmCits (REF A). Two AmCits are quarantined in Beijing at Ditan Hospital, a third is in Shanghai, and the fourth is in Guangzhou. DISRUPTIONS TO DELEGATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Although the MFA has continued to deny any official changes in visa policies or travel bans, several USG agencies, U.S. host institutions and other private organization have reported that their Chinese counterparts have postponed or cancelled meetings, visits and events due to concern over the H1N1 virus. Chinese groups of agencies have cancelled their own visits to the U.S., rescinded invitations to visiting U.S. delegations and cancelled or indefinitely postponed joint and U.S.-funded workshops and training programs. Two Chinese delegations that recently traveled to the U.S. have reportedly been quarantined upon their return. --A group of 20 provincial and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) officials was to participate in a June 6-27 DOS-funded exchange program on "Strengthening Governance through Enhanced Public Administration" in the United States. Renmin University (the program is being jointly implemented by Michigan State University and Renmin University) informed Michigan State that the program will have to be delayed due to Chinese Government concerns related to H1N1, and indicated that "an informal notice on postponing all out-bound training has been released within the government." --Beijing ESTHOFF reports at least three delegations or meetings cancelled due to H1N1 Chinese concerns. These include a USAF/State delegation to discuss satellite navigation issues with the China Satellite Navigation Applications Center and a NASA-CNSA Working Group Meeting, both of which have been postponed to an unspecified future date. A NASA/Academia-Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) space surveillance technical exchange in Shanghai is also likely to be postponed. --According to the Beijing NSF Director, an NSF-National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Math Delegation was cancelled last week at the request of NSFC, and President LU Yongxiang of CAS cancelled his visit to Washington in mid-May. In both cases, H1N1 was cited as the reason for the cancellations. --Beijing NIH/NIAID reports that a grants management training workshop planned for June 9-11 has been postponed at MOH's request. While the attendees would be primarily Chinese scientists, the trainers would all come from the United States. A CAS/NIH Joint Workshop on Environmental Pollutants and Cancer scheduled for the end of May was also postponed. --Xinzheng City Government's Emergency Command Center for the BEIJING 00001362 002 OF 002 Prevention and Control of the H1N1 Virus, with the approval of the Zhengzhou Municipal Government (Henan Province),asked SIAS International University to postpone or cancel its Tenth Anniversary Celebration, citing the number of H1N1 cases in the United States, the "severity and urgency of this situation", and the need "to protect the health of the masses". SIAS is a private American-owned university set up in Henan in affiliation with Zhengzhou University and in cooperation with Fort Hays State University of Kansas. --Amcits have complained to ConGen Shenyang that the Anshan Educational Bureau in Liaoning Province unilaterally cancelled their Chinese Language and Cultural Immersion Program due to concerns over H1N1. -- A Chinese State Forestry Administration delegation to the U.S. was informed that upon arrival back to China, due to H1N1 concerns, they should remain in home quarantine for one week. The delegation also reported to their U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts that they were told that future delegations to the U.S. would be suspended until further notice. Another group of Chinese officials were also quarantined upon their return from the U.S. to Hainan (REF A). ¶4. (SBU) Beijing NIV data show that applications for visitor visas for official government travel to the United States have dropped drastically so far in May, likely due to H1N1 restrictions. While a year-on-year comparison of monthly visa applications demonstrates that official delegation travel to the U.S. has been down thus far in 2009, probably due to the economic downturn and other internal Chinese government policies (the decline in applications from 2008 to 2009 was 14 percent for March and 12 percent for April),the data show a 40 percent drop in official government applications for comparable periods in May 2008 and May 2009. This is a much larger decline than the overall year-on-year drop in B1B2 visitor applications for the same period (6 percent). Since official government travel to the United States in May 2008 was already down sharply after the Sichuan earthquake, the decline from 2008 to 2009 for the month of May so far may be even larger than the data would indicate. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS URGE RETURNING STUDENTS TO HOME QUARANTINE -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) According to press reports, Guangzhou Health Bureau Vice Director General TANG Xiaoping urged overseas students not to return to China, but if they did, requested them to remain at home for a self-imposed quarantine for several days after arrival. Chongqing CDC has made a similar recommendation that overseas students returning to China stay at home for a self-imposed, seven-day quarantine. Angry web chatter directed against the three confirmed H1N1 cases who are returned overseas students has called on the Chinese Government to ban overseas students from returning to China while H1N1 is still a problem (REF A). WEINSTEIN